Nemesis
by Look-for-the-miracles
Summary: First, they kidnap her; second, interrogate her; and then third have a pizza party with her. What kind of people are they? Nemesis is a teen vigilante, protecting the streets of Midtown Manhattan by night, and trying not to fail college by day. When an unexpected proposal drags her into the world of superheroes, gods, assassins, how will she cope? Nemesis just wants to help people.
1. Prologue

**Hey there guys, I'm back with a brand new fic. It's been a few weeks in the making, and I've been busy writing plenty of chapters in advance so you guys can get something new every week. This is a different time placing, and concept to my other story. We're starting at early 2015 moving into spring of 2015. I guess you can all understand where we're going to end up with this tale.**

 **But this is just a quick hello from me.**

 **I own nothing but my OCs and any original plot lines.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

* * *

The screams were the first alert for Nemesis. The second was the terrified pleading of two young women, reverberating through the still night air to reach her ears. She estimated the attack to be about ten blocks from where she was hidden, blending into the darkness of the alley somewhere in Midtown Manhattan. Nemesis launched to her feet, ignoring the biting cold, and speeding her way towards the attack site.

It took only a few minutes for her to reach them. Two teenagers were surrounded by a crowd of knife and gun-toting gang members. Each member of the crowd wore a red stripe on the left arm; some had a crossed knife and bone insignia on the right arm. None of them noticed Nemesis, clad in her dark body armour, decorated only by a copper-coloured scale insignia across her back.

Balance.

That was what she tried to bring – giving justice to those who deserved it and avenging the victims of their attacks. It wasn't just that: Nemesis preferred to prevent the crimes from happening, rather than allow them to occur right before her eyes. But she couldn't be everywhere all at once. She helped whenever she could and prayed it would make a difference. Sometimes it felt like Nemesis was merely chipping away at the stone, removing tiny pieces that sometimes got glued back on to the whole. It was worth it, though. Maybe it wasn't an awful lot, but then again, Nemesis wasn't the only vigilante in New York, trying to make the world a better place. Trying.

Nemesis moved forwards, enhanced ears picking up on the quickened pace of multiple heartbeats. Some were fearful, most excited. This wasn't just a random mugging. No – it was seeming an awful lot more like an initiation ritual by each passing second. A gaggle of unmarked young men and women stood at the front of the group, closest to the unfortunate pair of teens, clutching at switchblades. The knives glinted in the vague light coming from the closest streetlight and the windows far above them. Everything was becoming clearer to Nemesis: the ones who killed the girls could enter the gang. The others might be kicked out, or offered as the next targets to whoever else was willing to kill for the sake of the gang. None of the gaggle seemed older than 22, but the youngest looked about 13. What a life.

Securing her black and copper face mask (which left only her mouth and chin exposed), Nemesis started forwards, shoving her way into the crowd. Fists launched at her, and startled members lifted guns. The targets' eyes flickered with a tinge of hope. Nemesis was determined to help them. She had to.

"Stand down, and nobody gets hurt." Her words came out with a low growl, dark eyes flashing from beneath the helmet. "I won't ask twice. Leave these people and go."

A boy, around 17, sporting multiple bruises plus a sleeve tattoo stepped forwards, brandishing a knife at her. "We've got three potential new recruits tonight, then," said the young man, directing his voice towards the watching crowd. He seemed to be some sort of leader, and Nemesis decided to name him Blade for his somewhat impressive knife. "You really shouldn't have come here, little girl. Keep the fancy costumes for the parties. Assuming – " he broke out in a foul cackle, stuttering with each breath, "you make it out of here. I highly doubt it."

"I wouldn't be so sure. My name is Nemesis, and I'll be bringing some revenge. Right here, right now. Care to dance, little boy?" Nemesis purred the final question at him, tracing a finger down Blade's weapon.

With her audience captivated, Nemesis launched into action. Her hand snapped out, bending the blade beyond use. She shoved an elbow into a face behind her, spinning on the spot to kick another down. The strength of her blows seemed to surprise them. Nemesis smirked, relishing the rush of the fight. Her body moved quickly, dodging hits and landing her own. Bones crunched under the force of kicks and punches.

Kick. Punch. Dodge.

Nemesis quickly settled into a routine, knocking out members left, right, and certain. Two blondes and a ginger braced to fight her, peppering her with medium hits. One slipped on knuckle dusters, causing a cut to open on her upper arm. The fabric had been ripped by another's blade. She hissed at the pain and continued onwards. Flipping upwards, Nemesis slammed her feet into the ginger's chest. He tumbled downwards. She kicked at his ribcage. A fist knocked into her torso. Nemesis stepped backwards, before throwing her whole weight at the female teen. She went down, and Nemesis scrambled to her feet. Then a scream ripped through the air.

Blade had both victims held by two of his companions, knives digging into their throats. Nemesis cursed and stepped forwards.

"Not so close. Take another step, and we slit their pretty little necks. Not what you want, is it?" Blade's voice shook with anticipation … but there was also fear.

Nemesis tilted her head at him, focusing on his heartbeat. If she changed, she would know if he was lying. But so far, he seemed deadly serious. She really didn't need that.

"Look. Look at what I've just done." She gestured to the groaning bodies collapsed around her booted feet, distaste showing on what little could be seen of her face. "You aren't in any position to be making threats. Hand over the girls, and I'll let you go without too many injuries. You might not even have to go to a hospital." Her mouth quirked upwards in a dangerous grin.

Blade said nothing but gestured to his companions. They pressed the knives close enough to cause shallow cuts. Crimson drops of blood dripped down, staining the girls' necks with red. Nemesis growled. She had enough blood on her hands without adding that of the innocent. Her fingers closed on one of her hidden blades. If Nemesis aimed at one of them, perhaps she could save one of the girls. But the other would almost defiantly die if she did that. Doing nothing though – that wasn't an option.

Seconds dragged on for years as Nemesis agonised other what to do. Just as she's decided to try and act, tendrils of sticky web pulled Blade's companions away from the young women. After staring a moment in shock, Nemesis took the opportunity to sink her knife into Blade's chest. She never liked killing, but at least this was one more gang member of the streets. Usually she wouldn't see many outside of Hell's Kitchen, but evidently, these kids had decided to make their own. Nemesis said kids, but she wasn't much older than most of the members she'd fought.

"What the actual -?" Nemesis started towards her saviour, starring Spider-Man right in his eyes, "good timing. Bit unexpected. How can I help you?"

"Help me? I just saved your butt!" The kid's voice was excited and somewhat irritating already.

"Yeah, and I've saved yours more times than I count. You're too young for this, and especially when you run around in pyjamas. If you want to fight, get a proper suit of body armour, and some training. Don't blame me if _you_ get injured."

"Hey! They aren't PJs. And I'm pretty sure you're just a kid too."

"That was everything you took from what I just said. Flaming Nora dude. This isn't about me. I'm trained. I've had experience in the field, and you are just a teenager. I'd wager you're barely 15." Nemesis quirked one side of her mouth up to him, expecting a cocky reply.

"What?! No. That's not … I'm older than that … Maybe I just sound young … You've got no idea …" He trailed off, muttering about people who think they know everything.

"Uh-huh. You keep saying that, kid." She rubbed her forehead, trying to be nice about it. "Look, I appreciate the help. But you need to take care of yourself. You aren't bulletproof. Remember, you can't help people if you're busy dying from multiple wounds. Maybe you have superpowers or abilities, but you aren't invincible, and you can't keep being reckless. You have to … have to make sure you look out for you, not just everyone else. I know you want to save people. It's okay if you only save one person, and it's okay if that person is you. I'm not saying but your own safety above others, but don't rate your life less than anyone else around you. You are just as important as the people you save. Remember that."

"Take your own advice, Nemy. You can be broken too."

"I am not called _Nemy_! Spider-Baby!"

"It's _Spider-Man_."

"You aren't even an adult. How can you say that?"

"Like I just did!" With that, Spidey waves a hand goodbye at Nemesis, swinging off into the darkness. "I'm off. Don't stop all the crime yourself, Nemy!"

Rolling her eyes, Nemesis called her own goodbyes, heading out from the alleyway and turning in the direction of home. The two girls she and Spidey liberated have long since disappeared, scurrying off into the darkness. Maybe in the morning, once the shock had worn down, they'll ring a newspaper editor up and tell them about the vigilantes that saved them from a gang ready to kill them. The newspaper will run the story, always eager for more stories on potential 'superheroes'. The kind that the public always laps up, whether or not they hate them.

Nemesis was under no illusions, though; what she did was outside the law, and she could be incriminated for it. She wasn't a flash superhero living in a fancy tower, but rather an ordinary person with some extra talents. If she was caught by the police, she would be sent to trial for anything and everything she'd done. Well, everything they knew about. Nemesis worked in the shadows. But the thing about shadows, once someone shines a light on them, there's no hiding. All you can do is move to the next, and hope they haven't seen your face.

* * *

 **So there we go, the first chapter of this tale. I hoping you've enjoyed this taster, no matter that it's quite short.**

Reviews, **follows, and favourites would make wonderful early Christmas presents.**

 **Until the next time.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	2. Coffee and calamities

**Looks like we're back again for another chapter of my brand new story. I'm hoping you enjoyed the prologue as well as Spider-Man's cameo. As this takes place in early 2015, at the time of _Age of Ultron,_ I'm ageing Peter around 14 as we know he's around 15/16 by the time of CA: CW.**

 **I own only my OCs and any original plot material. Everything belongs to Marvel.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Coffee and Calamities**_

* * *

The day started with the blaring of her alarm clock, jolting her from a restless sleep into another busy day. She wasn't completely sure if work days or lecture days were any better. Still, both were useful. One for her future, and one for paying for her future. The latter was important to ensure she could get anywhere in the future. But even with a degree, you wouldn't necessarily get anywhere. Astraea had two and was working on a third. Physics, Biochemical engineering, and hoping for a writing degree. At least, that was the whole plan of attending a university in Manhattan. That, and a new start away from the trappings of home. She'd come all the way from her Yorkshire home village, hoping for a new future in New York.

A future, that depended on her getting up on time to go work at the coffee shop only a few blocks from her shared flat.

Astraea lived in on-campus housing, sharing the flat with roommate Madison Lance. They were … well, an odd pair but definitely a force to be reckoned with. Madison was fierce and sharp-witted, Astraea provided the death glare able to shut anyone up. Together they were an unstoppable pair, ready to take on the world. If only they could get out of bed.

Sneaking one arm out of the covers, Astraea shut off the alarm, groaning her way awake. Her bleary brown eyes focused on the window across from her, soft tendrils of morning sunlight pouring in. Horns and engines sounded from the street below, and Astraea tried to climb back under the covers. But the door to her room banged open, and Madison stepped in, pulling the covers off the bed.

"Come on, lazybones! You want money, you gotta go to work," Madison said, her mouth curling up into a smile. "At least nod or something. It looks like I'm talking to the bed."

"Fine, fine. I'm gettin' up. Don't keep badgering on Maddie." Astraea stretched and yawned on her bed, blinking up at her friend. "Make us a coffee, will you?"

"Make your own!"

"Aww … Please." Astraea gave her best puppy-dog eyes. She'd had a late night, and didn't want to get so early. But she had to go to work, and that meant getting up at 6:00. Astraea managed 5 hours of sleep the last night – not really enough for her to have enough energy for dealing with work. That was the consequence of late nights: dealing with early mornings.

Madison quirked an eyebrow up and gave a flash of teeth to Astraea. "Sure thing, Rhea. Just cos I love you so much." The blonde female exited the room, bare feet padding down the hallway.

Astraea crawled from her bed, thumping her bare feet on the wooden floor. Her black hair was a frizzy mess in a case of serial case of bedhead. Slipping into the bathroom, Astraea started up a shower. The warm water soothed her sore muscles, but she didn't have long to stand around enjoying it. After five minutes, she towelled off, dried her hair, and brushed her teeth. She didn't bother often bother with make-up, but those dark bags needed clearing up.

Having finished up her routine, Astraea stepped out into the kitchen, dressed in the cyan shirt and trousers uniform of the Bluebird Café. It wasn't particularly fancy but paid well enough. Besides, the tips were invaluable to the pair of students. Any and all money they could earn would help fund their futures.

Madison passed her a steaming mug, and Astraea curled her fingers around it gratefully. The warmth seeped into her chilly fingers, and she took a sip of the coffee. Energy ran through her. Maybe she could get through today.

Having drained half the mug, Astraea set about fixing a cooked breakfast. That was their routine – Maddie would fix coffee as the cheery morning person, and Astraea would make breakfast once she'd woken up enough. She could make a mean full English, which, once Maddie had tried it, became the start of every Saturday. Working was better on a full stomach, and you couldn't get better than one with bacon, sausages, hash browns, and all the rest.

It only took a few minutes before Astraea was setting steaming full plates down in front of the pair of them, as they sat at the small table. Glasses of orange juice and mugs of coffee accompanied them. Maddie and Astraea munched for a few minutes in a comfortable silence. The radio droned on in the background, a mixture of songs and news reports coming through the speakers. Usually, it was general stuff, but one story made Madison sit straighter, flicking her eyes between her plate and the radio constantly.

 _'…_ _and finally, two more witnesses have claimed to have been rescued by new vigilante naming herself, Nemesis. These two young ladies, who wish to remain anonymous, have come forward claiming they were assaulted by a group of gang members on the streets of Midtown Manhattan last night. The vigilante is described as having 'taken down' the majority of the gang members, before being assisted by another vigilante hero, styling himself as Spider-Man. Now for the weather._ '

"You hear that, Rhea? Another case of a vigilante having stop crime because the police can't. What kind of world is it, where you have to depend on individuals to keep you safe enough to walk the streets at night? But it's not even like these people can do enough. They help, sure. But it's making ripples to stop a tidal wave. It's not enough." Maddie shook her head, dropping her fork on the plate with a clang.

Astraea stifled a grin; her best friend always got easily worked up by things she was passionate about. "I know that. But it's better than nothing, yeah? I mean, it's not like there's an awful lot anyone can do about it, right? We just keep our heads down and hope nobody notices us. Fly under the radar. We can't … we can't do anything to help, not really." She stopped eating herself, stealing a glance at the radio. "'Ripples to stop a tidal wave'. You got that right, Maddie."

Silence slipped back into the room, both girls stuck in their own thoughts. The radio announced the time as 6:45 and both friends leapt to their feet, panic clear in their eyes.

"Shit. Son of a biscuit eating bulldog. We'll be late if we don't hurry up. Leave the plates?" Astraea nodded her agreement, racing around the corner to slip on black boots and a fluffy hoodie.

Together, the girls scooted out of the apartment, racing down the hallway to the stairs. The Bluebird Café was eternally busy, and they really couldn't be late. Staff was needed for the whole day, and the boss could sometimes get very stressed. Very stressed. It wouldn't do to be late for what was set to be one of the busiest shifts of the day.

The shift had only just started and already Astraea was ready to strangle some of these customers. They kept asking for increasingly more complicated orders, ignoring her protests that they didn't sell a triple Grande mango Frappuccino topped with banana cream and passionfruit flakes. Or give away slices of cake the simpler you made your order. The whole thing made Astraea want to fling down her apron, if not for the (majority) nice group of co-workers and the equally nice pay. So, she put on a charming smile and agreed with their need to speak to the manager. Said manager was working the till next to her, freeing up another barista to clear tables. Michael had called in sick just twenty minutes before the shift was about to start. They had no time to see if anyone could come in to do the shift.

If things didn't need to get any worse, there seemed to be some sort of event going on at one of the universities. An open day of some kind. So, every teenager and their entire extended family (or so it seemed) had to come in on an already busy day. Things were at breaking point. Sooner or later, someone was going to crack and it wouldn't be pretty.

Madison kept giving her reassuring smiles as the girls worked. One member of the pair was making drinks and prepping cakes and puddings on plates, the other delivered the empty crockery back again. Astraea was just glad they didn't have to wear rollerblades or high heels like some cafes. Melody Castle actually valued hard work over appearance at her establishment. Which, Astraea often thought with a wry grin, was the only reason she had a business that worked somewhat smoothly. Well, it did if you ignored outside factors. Like unexpected open days.

The customer in front of her was just taking their steaming take-away cup when a loud explosion ripped through the air, like the cracking of a whip but a thousand times louder. Glass shards covered the counter-top: the window had been shattered by the blast. Customers and servers alike were ducking behind tables and chairs, terror all over their faces. But a few curious people joined Astraea and Madison is pushing out of the door, looking in horror at the burning fires all over the street.

People were screaming in agony from burns, broken bones, and cuts. An upturned car was crushing a young boy, around 12, under it. Astraea started forwards, determined to help him. Her friend grabbed her arm, reaching to stop her. They were reasonably safe in the coffee shop. At least the explosion hadn't hit the building, or so it seemed to the watchers. Astraea ignored Madison's grip, and ran forwards, boots crunching on broken glass.

"Hey, there kiddo," Astraea spoke as soothingly as she could to the poor child. "I'm gonna help get you out of here, so just hang tight, okay?" She got a terse nod in response, tears running down caramel cheeks streaked with blood and dust. "Alright then, let's do this."

Astraea dug her hands under the metal of the small car and heaved it upwards. Her arms shook as she held it for one, two, three minutes. A young man, the same one she'd just served coffee to, ran forwards to drag the boy free from the wreckage. She let the car drop, and fell back onto the ground, panting from the effort.

"Quite the feat that, Miss." The young man nodded to the silver car behind them, as he cushioned the boy's head in his lap. "Adrenaline works wonders, doesn't it?"

She nodded along with his words. "It does indeed. I'll – I'll ring an ambulance. They should – they should be able to help him. He's got to be injured." Astraea hunted for her phone, locating it in one of her trouser pockets. Her hands were covered in dust and grime. She punched in her passcode and made to phone the emergency services. Astraea's voice was quivering slightly, whether from tiredness or exhilaration she didn't know.

"Hey, um, I don't think you'll need to do that after all." Her customer pointed towards a group of plain-uniformed medics pouring from various unmarked ambulances. The men and women ran around to the nearest people, giving as much help as they were able. One took the boy to the nearest ambulances.

Astraea scrambled to her feet alongside the young man who assisted her. She gestured back to the café, and they strolled back inside. Madison took Astraea by the arm and ushered her into the back room.

"You crazy idiot!" Madison wrapped her arms around her, tears wetting Astraea's top. "You could have been caught up another explosion. You could have died. You could have – could have been hurt. I need you to stay here. No travelling to visit Death anytime soon, understood? Yeah?"

"Sure thing, Maddie." Astraea gently untangled herself, patting the shorter girl's shoulders. "I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, okay? I'm fine." Her lips twisted upwards into a wry grin. "Didn't know you cared so much."

"Sh-shut up. Idiot." Madison wiped at the tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Daft-y."

"I'm not daft."

"Yeah, you are."

"Idiot."

"Daft-y."

"Love you, Rhea."

"Love you, too."

* * *

 **Well, there you have it. An introduction to a pair of best friends.**

 **I'd like to note that I have never been to New York City or America for that matter. Any specific locations come from searching on google maps and, in the case of the university, looking on their websites. The Bluebird Cafe is something I made up for this story. If such an establishment actually exists - well, I have no idea.**

 **As I write this it's 1st December and I'm already incredibly stoked for Christmas. I've opened my advent calendar on the first day and are listening to Christmas songs as I type this message for all you fabulous readers. Where I am, it has been snowing yesterday (unusual for my part of Yorkshire) but that snow turned to ice for today. So getting to the bus for college was difficult and slippy. I managed not to fall. Barely!**

 **24 days until Christmas.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	3. The perils of a night out

**Hey there wonderful readers, it's that time of week again where I post the next chapter of this ongoing tale. I'm hoping you've been enjoying this tale so far - maybe even as much as I've enjoyed writing this new story of mine.**

 **As always, I own only original characters and plotlines, all else belongs to Marvel.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 _ **The perils of a night out**_

* * *

The explosion outside the café was easily the most interesting thing that had happened that month for Astraea's fellow college students. She and Madison were constantly bombarded with questions about how it felt to be so close, and if they saw anything that caused it. After an alien invasion in 2012; Iron Man troubles in 2013; and assassins and not-so-dead evil organisations in 2014, everybody was always quick to suspect something from the world of superheroes. So far, the event had seemingly been caused by gas pipes. Perfectly ordinary. Still, people liked to believe in conspiracy theory and, soon enough, enough ideas were flying around to write a book.

Soon enough though, everything returned to normal. Well – as normal as it gets for New York. There were still multiple features on the news on vigilante heroes, and whether the Avengers should be classed as such. Debates on the matter could be heard just about anywhere on campus, and Madison often joined. She had very strong opinions on the matter. Namely that if the law wasn't going to step up, then others should.

When she returned to a newly refurbished café, two weeks after the incident caused it to temporarily close, Astraea saw the young boy she and the customer had helped. He'd brought flowers and a picture for 'the nice lady who helped me'. A giggling Madison had taken a photo of Astraea and the boy (whose name, she discovered, was Nathan). Astraea had found it utterly adorable, and given Nathan a hug, praising his artwork and making him promise to stay out of trouble. His mother thanked Astraea for her help, shaking the young adult's hand.

The picture was pinned to the board on the back wall, covered in children's artwork, photos, and various gifts from customers and their kids. It used to be just a small cork board full but had soon progressed to fill a whole wall. Madison often joked that they'd need to open another café, just for all the pictures. Melody (her boss) had to keep changing the board around, trying to find space for the ever-growing collection. It was sweet and made Astraea smile every time she headed into work.

Things were going as smoothly as Astraea could have hoped. But, as always, things never seemed to stay that way.

She and Madison were going out for the night. They didn't go often – Astraea usually stayed home for various reasons, and they both had to study. But tonight, the girls were both free. Madison had always been good at convincing Astraea to go and have fun. So, they exchanged sneakers for high heels and loose trousers for skinny jeans. Madison gave them both vivid red lips, and Astraea made their hair is flowing manes. The duo was ready to party, and forget any troubles, if only for an evening.

The club they headed to was already thumping with music as they stepped through the doors. Astraea had to shout just to be heard by her friend standing right beside her. Still, it was magnetic. The atmosphere drew them straight to the dance floor. Tightly packed bodies moved in the semi-darkness. Voices chanted lyrics together. The floor shook as everyone jumped at the same time. Giddy smiles on their faces, Astraea and Madison threw their arms and danced, getting lost in the beat.

They had been partying for a few hours, and Madison had disappeared off with a pixie-looking teen. Astraea was at the bar, regretfully only ordering a glass of orange juice and lemonade. At 18 years old, she'd have able to drink in her home country of England. But she'd headed to America in September and lost that ability. Still, her birthday was in March – only ten days away. Then she'd only have two years to go.

Drink in hand, Astraea sipped at the sparkling liquid as she watched the dancefloor. Dancers were shouting out requests, cheering when their favourite songs come on. The whole place seemed electric; alive with energy and power and laughter. People contorted their bodies into strange shapes as they moved, trying to emulate the songs into movements. It was even more special to Astraea when she only came on the odd occasion. This was life. The crazy unpredictability of it expressed in movement, but also the fun.

Someone slid up the bar to her, and Astraea instinctively covered her drink and grabbed her clutch. It had always been ingrained in her – don't let anyone near your drink, and never leave your things unguarded. It shouldn't have been something that needed to happen. People shouldn't have to fear rapists and thieves, but that was the world they lived in. It needed to change.

"Hello? Earth to Rhea?" A dark hand was waved in her face, and Astraea suddenly recognised the voice. It was Alexander, a boy from her writing class. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Why? Because I have no social life?" She quipped, taking a sip of her drink. "Like yourself."

"Touché," Alex chuckled, waving a hand for the bartender. "I decided to get out for a bit, you?"

"Madison."

Alex gave her a confused look, and Astraea rolled her eyes. "You know how she is. Bundle of energy. She wanted to check out this club, so here we are. Well, Maddie isn't right here, but y'know what I mean."

"And here I was thinking you'd come out just to see me."

Astraea felt her cheeks flush, hot and angry. Why did boys have to make every conversation about them?

"Sweetie, I wouldn't go out to see you if you were the last person on earth. I'd have a more intelligent conversation talking to some bacteria – the only culture you have. If you'll excuse me, I've got things to do." With that, she drained her glass and set it on the bar. Astraea hurried into the crowd, disappearing upon the tangle of limbs.

After a few moments hiding from Alex, she headed towards the bathroom. It was where she had intended to go, but she hadn't wanted Alex to follow her. Astraea was often paranoid like that.

Once inside, she slipped around the girls struggling towards the toilets to throw up. As she reached the far end, Astraea spotted Madison touching up her make-up and covering up red eyes. Stepping closer, she placed a hand lightly on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"Hey there, Maddie. What's wrong?" Astraea had sure to keep her voice low and gentle.

"H-h-hey there, Rhea. Nice to … nice to see you. Can we … can we go now?" Madison sounded small and vulnerable, completely the opposite of Astraea's usually fierce and bubbly friend.

"Sure thing, Mads. We can later if you want. And eat ice cream whilst watching Netflix and wrap ourselves us in fluffy blankets." Madison nodded, and Astraea swiftly led her from the room. She didn't bother to question why her best friend, who had wanted them to go out in the first place, suddenly developed a need to leave. One look at the tears on Madison's face and Astraea was ready to comfort her bestie and bring hell on those who had put the tears there.

Hand in hand, the girls struggled through the crowd, dodging flailing limbs and collapsed drunks. Music was still thumping through the air. Glasses littered the bar. When they finally clambered out the door, the cool air made them start and gasp. It was refreshing, after spending several hours inside the crowded club. Astraea had no idea how long they'd been in there; time always seemed distorted when you partied. The sky, however, looked inky black, so she summarised it had to be night time. Somewhere around midnight, or maybe even the early hours of the next morning.

This particular club was only a few blocks from their housing, so the duo walked back, heels clicking on the pavement. Lights from high-rise buildings glowed in the sky, blotting out the stars Astraea used to see at home. That was one of the biggest things she missed about her home village. Back there, you had only look out the window on a clear night to see a sky full of stars. In a city, that wasn't possible. Not so much.

Muddled in her thoughts, Astraea didn't notice the hands grasping her and Madison, trying them into a dark alley. Their screams were muffled by rough hands covering their mouths. Madison, still affected by whatever happened in the club, collapsed against a brick wall, sinking down onto the dirty floor. Four men, faces covered by masks, stood around them. None of them seemed armed. Astraea levelled a glare at them. One reached out a gloved hand to seize her by the chin, dragging her closer.

"Hey now, enough of that. Just be good and you won't get hurt." The man's voice was muffled by the cloth covering his lower face.

Astraea spat at him. "Go to hell you bastards. Let us go, and then _you_ won't get hurt."

Behind her, Madison grabbed her ankle, pulling Nemesis down. "Don't annoy them. You'll make it worse. We just have to play along and hope they don't kill us. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to become one of the girls from those stories about staying safe at night. Please, Rhea. Just don't." She gave a wry grin, flicking a grin into the dark alley. "Maybe a hero will save us."

Astraea just shook her head, standing on her feet again. She slipped her feet out of the heeled shoes she wore. The men chuckled at her like she was cute for trying to defend herself. Then she launched a shoe at the nearest man, hard enough to knock him to the ground. The others stared for a moment, and Astraea exploded on them. She threw the other shoe. It whacked one in the groin, leaving him bent over against the wall. A fist powered towards her. She blocked the blow. Astraea kicked one into the wall. He slumped down, bleeding from the back of his head. The final man turned to run. Astraea picked up one of her shoes and nailed him in the head. He joined the others in the ground.

Collecting her fallen shoes, Astraea offered a hand to a dumbstruck Madison. They stumbled out the alley and raced home as quickly as possible.

Once inside, Madison and Astraea sunk into the sofa, chests heaving. They lay that way for a few minutes, yellow light spilling from under the door. Madison stuck a hand up, fumbled for the light switch, and turned on their living room light. The girls blinked in the sudden brightness. The wall clock ticked on.

Finally, Madison pushed herself into a sitting position, staring at Astraea. "When the hell did you learn to fight like that? How the hell did you take on four fully grown men when you're a skinnier-than-average teen? I need answers, Astraea. And I need them right now." She fixed Astraea with a steely glare. "Start talking."

Astraea gulped and sat up. Her browns flicked between Madison's face and the floor. Nervous. She licked her lips, struggling for a beginning. "This is going to sound like utter nonsense. I'm going to have to start pretty far back. It's a … well – it's a long story.

"You remember that I told you about … about that experimental medicine my mum took. Yeah. Well, that's kinda the, uh, reason behind everything. My mum was deaf. She had memory loss issues, weak muscles, damaged vocal cords, and a bunch of other issues. This … this medicine was completely new. They said it would fix all her problems." Astraea looks down at her hands, nibbling on her bottom lip as she remembered her father telling the story. "It worked. The problems reduced, faded, and then disappeared. It was like a miracle."

She looks up at Madison, tears pricking in her eyes. "But miracles don't last. There was only so much of the medicine, and after 3 years it ran out – " Her voice caught, and Astraea wiped a few tears from her cheeks, "her symptoms came back within months. It was like … it was as though they just wanted to see if it worked, so they could sell it to the rich. Normal medicine couldn't help with all the extra problems. Five years later, my mum died. She was 35."

Madison shifts on the seat, a pregnant pause hanging in the air. "But what – it's horrible what happened to your mom, but I gotta ask, how does this … does this, er, medicine fit in with everything else?"

"I was getting there. You see, mum was pregnant when she began talking the medicine. With me. This drug healed my mum, and it got into my bloodstream. It didn't see any problems but seemed to know what was wrong with my mother. So, it took action, as though _I_ was also ill. It enhanced my hearing, muscles, vocal cords, and my healing ability to some degree. I don't tend to get ill, and my bones and muscles are denser than normal people's. I can hear things at least three the range of normal people and five times the distance. My whole body seems to be able to move faster, as well as be more agile and flexible than average.

"The drug fixed the 'problems' that my body had as a foetus. It thought it was mending me, but really it was making me different. Because it happened while I was developing, it seems like the drug was absorbed into my system, and became linked to my genetic code. Like … kinda like when people drink to excess or take drugs, when pregnant. It can affect the child, as well as the parent."

Astraea faded into silence, staring at her hands as though they would explain all the answers. She'd just unloaded a massive amount of information on her best friend that would take some time to process. In fact, she wasn't even sure she understood it herself. It was a complicated tale that seemed a little too much like a sci-fi novel for Astraea's liking. Still, in a world that had recently unveiled superheroes, Norse gods, and aliens, it no longer seemed quite so unrealistic. In fact, it looked a lot more normal.

"So … you're … and you've got … but that's …" Madison's words came in fits and starts, half-finished thoughts breaking into speech. She seemed to go to a realisation and pointed a long finger at Astraea. "That new vigilante person. The one that's been around seen late September last year – about the same time you arrived – was that you? I mean, is that you? Are you the one I'm hearing on the radio and championing? Because if you are …" Her cheeks flushed pink. "That means I've been saying how great you are, whilst talking to you. Shit, that' so embarrassing."

Astraea giggled, shaking her wavy black hair out of her face. That sounded a lot more like her friend. "Um … yeah. I'm Nemesis. But you can't tell anyone about any of this. They'll cart me off to a lab for experiments and then arrest me for taking criminals off the streets without going through the law. Please don't. I … I quite like going to college and having you as my best friend, Mads. Please don't let it get thrown away. I'm sorry about lying … I really am. But – I didn't want you to get in trouble. I thought I was protecting you by not saying anything. At least, that's how it looked for me." She paused for a moment before speaking again, her voice sounding incredibly small and meek. "Please don't hate me."

Silence returned. Astraea hung her head and made as though to leave, her shoulders slumped. Madison pushed her back onto the sofa, staring at her with a curious look in her green eyes. "Why would I hate you? I've got a kickass best friend who's secretly a vigilante. That's awesome. If you lied to me about something really important to me, then yeah, I'd be mad. But this was your secret to tell."

"Are … are you sure? I _lied_ to you! About who I am. Doesn't that matter?"

"It's not as though you're secretly a serial killer or anything. Rhea, you're allowed to lie. Everyone does. It's part of life, no matter how much it may sometimes be better to tell the truth. You're answering these questions honestly when I ask you. I hadn't asked before; you haven't lied to me because I never asked. You just never told me."

"So … we're good, then? It's okay that I run around at night and stop crimes. Sometimes with a kid who shoots webs." Astraea wiped at her eyes, sniffing quietly.

"Sure thing, you idiot. It's all good. Just sign me an autograph so I can show everyone, yeah?"

"Ok, daft-y. Anything for my damsel in distress."

"Hey, if anything, you're the damsel. Who's the one getting all the comfort, huh?" Madison enveloped Astraea in a warm hug. The girls cuddled together for a long moment, strengthening their bond of friendship.

Eventually, Astraea pushed back and stood up. "Right, I promised ice cream, Netflix, and blankets. Stay there, and I'll deliver on that." She disappeared into the kitchen, opening up the freezer.

"Aww … my hero," Madison snarked, batting her eyes in Astraea's general direction.

Astraea returned clutching two tubs of _Ben & Jerry's_ and a stack of fluffy blankets in an array of colours. Tossing a spoon, carton of ice cream, and half a dozen blankets to Madison, Astraea settled down on the sofa, curling her feet up underneath her. Madison seized the TV remote and booted up Netflix.

She turned to Astraea with an infectious grin, "Right then, what shall we binge watch today then?"

* * *

 **And, thus, ends this chapter. New revelations from this one, although I suspect some of you already made the connection between Nemesis and Astraea. On that thought track, I've noticed that all of Astraea's names are some sort of greek goddess:**

- **Rhea - Mother of Zeus, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, etc...**

 **-Astraea - Goddess of innocence, with a name meaning 'star-maiden'**

 **-Nemesis - Goddess of revenge, and balance to some extent**

 **Little interesting connection there, though entirely unintentional.**

 **It'd be nice to found out how you guys are finding this story so far.**

 **As of today, it's 17 days until Christmas!**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	4. Trips and needles

**Another Friday, another chapter for you wonderful people.**

 **It makes me glad I wrote a few in advance of publishing; as we get closer to Christmas my panic level gets higher and higher. I still haven't got all the presents I need, and I've yet to wrap the ones I've got. Christmas - wonderful fun but slightly stressful. It's worth all the effort though.**

 **I hope you've been enjoying this story so far, and will enjoy this chapter you're (hopefully!) about to start reading.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel. I don't think I'd be worrying what I'd get people for Christmas if I did. :)**

* * *

 **Trips and needles**

* * *

The new revelation of Astraea's alter ego hadn't caused the rift between her and Madison that she'd expected. The girls continued in a crazy friendship, bickering and laughing as they progressed with exams. The winter of February progressed into spring and the city seemed ready to burst with new life.

They'd decided to take a day's adventure around Central Park. It was a relatively warm day (for March) and they needed a break. Rainy days and winter chills had kept them inside for most of the past couple of months. The girls needed a trip into the fresh air, and a chance to focus on things other than studies.

The park was buzzing with families, couples, and groups of friends spending the day together. Madison and Astraea had decided to forgo the zoo, deciding that there were likely to be lots of children there. There were closer parks to where the duo lived, but there was something about Central Park. It was something that Astraea had known about before she'd turned up in Manhattan, and had been dying to see for months. They'd never gotten around to it, but today the girls decided to cross it off the list.

So, they bundled up against the chill. Astraea with her wavy black locks tucked into a red beanie that matched her red skater dress, under a black coat with her favourite knee-high boots. Madison had chosen grey jeans, black sneakers, and a sky-blue parka.

First, they headed to the Carousel. Despite their ages, both Madison and Astraea decided to ride, snapping pictures of each other laughing.

"You know," said Astraea, as they clambered off the horses, "that wasn't nearly as good as the one at Beamish."

After her friend's questioning look, Astraea launched into a full explanation about the historical village you could visit, set up as though it were still functioning. Her family went one Christmas, she explained, when Astraea was eight. There was a steam-powered carousel that moved at ridiculously fast speeds, for a carousel.

"That sounds like fun. We'll have to take a road trip to England someday. I'm showing you my birthplace of New York; you can show me England. Show me all your British things," Madison teased, nudging Astraea in the ribs.

By the time noon arrived both girls were starving and frozen. They gladly bundled into the nearest café, ordering hot sandwiches and drinks. As soon as the food came they tucked in, wolfing down a toasted sandwich each and a bowl of chips between them. The café was filled with warm air and chattering voices. Astraea tugged off her coat and gripped her hot chocolate between both hands. This was bliss.

"So –" Madison gave Astraea a pointed look over the rim of her mug as she took a sip of the coffee, "can I call you Captain America Light? CAL for short. Because – I mean, you've kinda got similar abilities. It works." She gave Astraea a dazzling smile, ignoring the look of abject horror on her friend's face. "What?!"

"Maddie!" Astraea hissed, casting a furtive glance around her. "You can't say that. What if someone's listening? I don't want anyone to find. Any of these people could have heard and then they'll tell people. I'll get carted off to a lab and experimented on and … "

"Hey, stop. Don't be so silly, Rhea. Nobody's listening, and it'll be pretty hard to hear anyways. We're in a really busy café, and everyone is talking. Stop worrying, you lovable idiot, and just enjoy yourself. We're having a fun day out, and you don't need to stress about your, uh, _secrets_." Madison waved a hand flippantly, and step her mug down. "Seriously, stop being a bloody wuss-puss, and live a little. We're fine."

"We're fine," Astraea repeated, rubbing her temples with both hands, "we're fine. Everything is fine. I'm worrying about nothing. I just need to have fun and relax, right? Right?" She turned to Madison, a desperate look in her brown eyes, red-raw from the cold.

Madison gave a tinkling laugh, reaching out to take one of her friend's hands and squeeze it between her own. "Yes. Yes. Come on, Rhea – finish up that drink and we'll go check out that – "

As Madison continued to babble on and suggest new places to go Astraea slowly relaxed, sinking back in her chair and casting a quick glance over the packed room. There was a man in the corner that caught her eye, sitting in the far corner as though he didn't want to be spotted. There was a baseball pulled low over his face – the kind that superheroes always use as a terrible disguise in films. Bright blues eyes stared out, assessing the room. They caught Astraea's gaze and she quickly looked away. Wouldn't want anyone to think she was looking, would she?

Another ten minutes later, and the girls were leaving the café, heading out on their jaunt again. They'd decided to only walk around part of the park – it was a bit too big to wander around all day, and still leave time for breaks. They'd already spent a good couple of hours wandering the section of Central Park closet to their end of Manhattan. The park wasn't that close to their campus, but it still wasn't ridiculously far away.

Astraea had always loved the fact that something like this existed – a space where city dwellers could come and pretend to be in the countryside, even if it was only for a short time. A lot of city kids could grow up without understanding or even know about the nature of their country. A park this size was easily capable of giving the illusion of countryside within a city.

It made Astraea's heart pang with homesickness. She missed the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, and holidays spent clambering around ruined castles and buildings, skipping stones, playing pooh sticks, and pretending to be spies with her little brother. The countryside was beautiful: lush, green grass; rich, purple heather; sparkling rivers; and beautiful valleys. It may have been cold on the beaches most of the time, but there was always fun in racing on the sand and running from the incoming waves. She had loved seeing if she could sneak up on sheep on the dales, and spotting a glance of deer in the woods. Astraea had found a lump of quartz once: having plunged her hand into a river and grabbed a chunk of rock, she'd lifted it up to found the sizeable chunk of gemstone. It wasn't particularly valuable, but that wasn't why Astraea kept it. She kept it for the memories.

The girls wandered in silence for some time, arms linked as they strolled under the leafy trees. The fresh scent of green was everywhere – the smell of spring. Spring could be change, but also the bringer of new life.

Change. Like the way, Astraea had revealed her secret identity to Madison. It certainly brought a new layer to their friendship. Something more. But Astraea couldn't help but wonder, what if that wasn't the biggest change to happen, or the only one? Perhaps something bigger was coming, something that Astraea had no way to counter.

Madison gave Astraea a strange look, jolting Astraea from her conflicting thoughts. "Oh … yeah, sorry. I was just … um, thinking about home, y'know? How much I love my country in spring. I kinda miss that, being in a city and all. I mean, the park is nice. But it's not quite the same."

"No," Madison mused, casting a critical eye over the blooming trees and lush grass, "it's not. It's close. But you've got to miss that wild freedom that comes from being in the countryside. Being surrounded by only nature – not a building in sight. So beautiful. And alone. But beautiful all the same."

"Mmm … We should go out the city – for a weekend break. Escape the concrete and glass and just be free."

"Maybe. If we can get through this semester." Madison gave her trademark laugh, linking her arm with Astraea's. "Come on, we should head on back now. I'm freezing!"

Once night had fallen, Astraea had ducked into her room, retrieving her Nemesis suit for her evening round. She couldn't go out every night, and tried to ensure she got at least four hours sleep each night, but Astraea still wanted to keep the people safe. If that meant sacrificing a little of her free time to protect people in theirs, then that was fine with her. Astraea had enhancements that could be wasted if she didn't use them. And she would use them to do as much good as she could.

As always Nemesis slipped out the window, dropping to the ground and rolling to absorb the fall. Her footsteps were light as she set out, ears listening for trouble. On some days there would be barely anything, on others, she couldn't get to everyone. _Ripples to stop a tidal wave_ , Nemesis recalled, _but ripples can build into something bigger._

Sticking to the shadows of rooftops and tiny alleys, Nemesis moved around Midtown Manhattan, protecting her small piece of New York City. She wasn't the only one out and about if the presence of Spider-Man was anything to go by. Still, Nemesis couldn't rely on other vigilantes to do her job. Unofficial job. Whatever the case, she felt strongly that she had to be out on the streets, stopping crimes and presenting herself as a warning. If someone wanted to break laws they had better think of the vigilantes waiting in the shadows to stop them. Permanently, if they had to.

Nemesis didn't like killing if she could avoid it. Every death felt like another bucket of blood, dripping over her body and staining her skin crimson. It was unavoidable, as her role as a street protector. Sometimes people had to be stopped, and sometimes there was only one to do that. There was a part of Nemesis that felt as though she was watching everything happen like it was someone else controlling her body. The other felt like screaming at herself to stop, stop, stop, and think about what she was doing. That part was Astraea, watching herself turn little by little into something much darker than her regular self. The part that wanted hang up the mask, and sit and cry about how much everything hurt to face these things daily.

Absorbed in her thoughts, Nemesis was walking on autopilot, ready to respond to action but not really noticing where she was going. Her ears hurt from all the noise – Nemesis wasn't concentrating on tuning anything out, so everything seemed much louder. She could have been in a busy part of Manhattan, but she didn't have much of an idea. There were a bunch of towering skyscrapers around – palaces of glass and concrete and metal. A proclamation to the world: here I am.

Something moved in the darkness, and Nemesis reacted instantly, listening out for heartbeats in the 13-metre radius she could hear them in. Two stood out the most, what with being the closest to her. Figures clothed in black flitted from shadow to shadow, encircling her. Nemesis raised her hands into a fighting stance, ready to take on whoever it was. Someone laughed, a light sound that quickly faded in the sudden stillness.

Nemesis growled to herself, bouncing on her toes and keeping her fists raised. A light blow landed on her back, and she spun around. Her eyes narrowed behind the mask, and she stepped forward.

"Whoever it is can piss off. Unless you feel like coming out your shadows I want nothing to do with you. Go!" Nemesis hissed the last word in the shadows as she rotated in the spot. "Leave me alone!"

"Oh, honey. I'm afraid it's not going to work that way." A feminine echoed out the darkness, and Nemesis turned towards it. "We'll appreciate your co-operation once the anaesthetic wears off."

"Wait, what?! What anaesthetic do you – "The prick of the needle brought Nemesis' hand to her neck, where a tiny prick was marked on her skin. "Twats," she muttered, before promptly collapsing on the ground, face down on the cobbles.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, guys.**

 **How do you feel about this cliffhanger? What'll happen next? Stay tuned, and you'll find out. All in good time, my friend, all in good time.**

 **On another note, if case anyone was getting confused, I use 'Nemesis' when Astraea is wearing her supersuit and 'Astraea' when she's dressed or acting as a civilian. Nemesis is her codename and I'm treating it as such. Hence the use when in the field or in the suit. Just to clarify that for anyone.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	5. Kidnap and pizza

**Welcome back. Another Friday and another chapter for you wonderful readers.**

 **I hope you've been enjoying this tale. I would also like to thank the viewers, reviewers, favouriters, and followers of this tale. You are all fabulous people.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Kindnap and pizza**

* * *

The cool feel of metal handcuffs was the first thing Nemesis woke up to. The second was the realisation that she'd been kidnapped and Madison had no idea that she was out. The third was the fact her mask was no longer covering the upper half of her face. It sat before her, on a metal table. Around which were a group of faces Nemesis had seen all over the news. The Avengers. She had been kidnapped by the Avengers. Were they even allowed to do that?! Nemesis didn't know, but she sure as hell didn't want to get on the bad side of these extremely powerful people.

"Welcome to the land of the living, kiddo. We've been expecting you." The man snarking her was none other than Tony Stark, known as Iron Man while performing heroic acts. And dickhead to anyone who disagreed with him.

"You … you shouldn't have stayed up for me," Nemesis quipped, struggling to straighten herself in the cold metal chair. "Or maybe you shouldn't kidnap people in future. Do I get a lawyer? I want a lawyer."

"I like this one. Can I keep it?"

"She's not a pet, Stark. She's here because we need to ask a few questions and discuss our proposal." It was the same female voice Nemesis had heard before – belonging to none other than Black Widow. The red-headed woman may have been outnumbered by the men but certainly looked as though she could hold her own. "Besides, it's Hawkeye's job to collect strays, right?"

"Damn right, Nat." A sandy-haired man gave a good-natured nod to Stark. Her brain supplied the name, Clint Barton. "Don't go stealing my strays. I picked this one up with a little help from Tasha."

"My house, my pets. That's the rules." Tony crossed his arms, waggling his eyebrows at Clint.

"You don't even like pets!"

Nemesis rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly. These so-called 'superheroes' seemed a lot more like children up close. Maybe not children, but more like people than the media had ever portrayed. To the public, including herself, the Avengers seemed like an invincible group of protectors ready to leap into action. All the footage of the 2012 invasion seemed to prove that. Nemesis had been 16 when it all happened, and safely in the UK. But then more aliens came in 2014, right to Greenwich, where Nemesis and a couple of friends were spending a weekend away. Physics seemed to be going haywire, and Thor was battling a bunch of 'elves' that looked completely different to the Tolkien kind. It had been terrifying, but seeing that someone was there to fight back, someone who was strong enough to fight back had been reliving. They seemed unstoppable to the world. But the world, Nemesis included, always forgot that the Avengers were people too. People that made mistakes, loved and lived as much as anyone else.

"Are we amusing you?" Widow raised a perfect eyebrow at her and Nemesis shivered. She definitely did not want to irritate Black Widow in any way, shape, or form.

"Er … No?" Nemesis tried, going for an innocent look. "I was just … um … thinking how you all seem more, uh, real? I guess?"

"Real huh, kiddo? Think we were plastic or something?" Stark waggles both eyebrows at her and turns on what looks like a patented media-smile.

"I didn't mean that. I just –" Nemesis sighed, groping for the right words to say what she wanted. This was exactly like trying to write an essay. You have to think so much about what you're going to say, and the audience it's for. In her case, this audience could dispose of her if they disagreed with her. Permanently. "– meant that you're messing around and arguing over silly things and … well, acting the same as ordinary people. The kind that isn't superheroes, or gods, or assassins."

"You missed out green rage monsters." That statement earned Stark several glares from various people around the table. The words were from a man with curly brown hair and glasses, wearing a purple shirt. That had to be …

"Bruce Banner! You're the one who … " Nemesis faltered, casting uncertain glances around the room, "does the thing," she finished lamely, drifting off into an uncomfortable silence.

To her surprise, Banner started chuckling dryly, placing his hands on the table. "That's certainly one way to describe it, Miss -?"

"Should I be telling you guys that kind of information? Urgh … who am I kidding? You probably did some sort of facial recognition of me, as soon as you removed the mask. I bet you guys know my life better than I do."

"We'll have to see about that." Barton twirls a drumstick, watching Nemesis from the corner of his eye. "JARVIS?"

"A full file has been completed of Miss Blake's life and history. Will you be requiring the information, Agent Barton?" A disembodied voice, speaking in a butler-ish British accent. The kind that everyone associates as being the stereotypical British accent, completely ignoring the fact that there wasn't even a certain accent per county. Regions and even just individual cities like Hull, Manchester, Blackpool, and Liverpool had their own separate accents.

"What the actual banana brain was that?" Nemesis questioned, eyes scanning the room nervously for other people.

"'banana brain'? That's a strange curse." Barton flashes a quick smile. "That was just JARVIS."

"You say that like I know what it means."

"It's simple really. He's essentially an AI butler. Very helpful, friendly, and a surprisingly good sense of humour and sarcasm."

"Thank you, Agent Barton." The voice – no, JARVIS – spoke again, sounding pleased despite the description of AI.

"So, he's like a really fancy computer system. That can sound pleases apparently, " she deduced, casting the ceiling a cautious look. "How on earth do you make something like that?"

"Simple really. Genius." Stark winked at the table, earning a couple of headshakes. He tapped onto a tablet lying on the table, bringing up some sort of information Nemesis couldn't read from the angle she was on. "Although, you aren't doing too bad; decrees in physics, and biochemical engineering. Going for a writing degree. Pretty smart, are you?"

It was an innocent question but lined with something much weighty. He wasn't asking about her decrees. Stark was asking about whether or not her 'powers' affected her brain if they could be a useful asset to the Avengers no doubt. As much as Nemesis was pleased to meet the famous heroes, she wasn't too sure about working for them. Which, she assumed, was the proposal Widow had mentioned earlier.

"Yes … Isn't that in the file? You obviously seem to have enough on me, according to that computer-thingy."

"I was asking you. Sometimes you have to gauge a reaction from someone in person. You seem a little reluctant to give away information about yourself."

Nemesis felt like exploding. "Of course, I am! I've been drugged, handcuffed, and subject to some sort of strange interrogation. You know an awful lot about me, so I don't why I should give you any more information. I'd like to leave now." She leant backwards, glaring at them, voice hardened with steel.

"Not happening." Widow folded her arms, giving Nemesis an equally hard stare. "We're not done here. Not yet."

"You don't get to decide that. You don't get to kidnap people and interrogate them. 'Cause that's what this is – kidnap. Dress it up any way you like, that doesn't change what this is. I know who you people are, but you aren't the law. You can't do this."

"Oh, honey, "Black Widow purred, eyes softening slightly, mouth pulling into a mocking smile, "we are doing this. We do get to decide. All we have to say is we were holding a dangerous enhanced individual in our custody and they'll back off. The Avengers might not be the law, but we've got plenty of power. Look around. This isn't some amateur attempt at getting a ransom for a nobody. It's organised by spies, assassins, and geniuses. Tell us some reason we haven't already heard. Tell me why we can't do this?"

"Because … " Nemesis deflated, searching for a good enough reason. Widow smirked at her, leaning back and enjoying her struggle. "Because I have to study. For my writing degree."

"Ok." She frowned, giving Nemesis a look of grudging appraisal. "That's a new one. Good reason. Got any more of them?"

Nemesis stared back in silence, unwilling to believe the evidence before her own eyes. "Uh … Io non parlo inglese?" She tried to shrug as best possible whilst handcuffed and secured in a chair.

"Italian, huh? Can you say anything else or just your inability to speak English?"

"Chto ty khochesh', chtoby ya skazal?" She asked, casting a careful look at the red-head.

"Eto zavisit. Skol'ko yazykov vy uznali?"

"Okolo chetyrekh ili pyati, ignoriruya angliyskiy. Ponimayete, eto pomogayet, kogda u vas yest' eydeticheskaya pamya" Nemesis smiled at the confused looks on the faces of most of the others. Tony and Bruce looked to have no idea, but Clint seemed to be following the conversation, a smile lighting his face briefly. Just then a thought struck her: there were only four people here, and there were six Avengers. While everyone knew Thor must have left Earth considering his sudden appearance in Greenwich, surely Captain America, leader of the Avengers, would be here if everyone else was.

Nemesis decided to voice that question aloud, switching back to her native tongue. "Why are there only four of you? I realise that Thor would be unlikely to turn up, but why no Captain America? Unless this is sneaking behind his back or I am only important enough for four Avengers."

"That's – "Stark exchanged terse glances with the rest of his fellows. "classified. Need to know basis as I understand it. Right, Nat?"

The assassin flashed a feral grin at him. "Of course, it is. Have you tried asking nicely? I don't bite you know."

"Eh. I'm not risking it. I'll just ask Star-Spangled when he gets back. He's not very good at lying." Stark turned back to face Nemesis, sipping from a glass of amber liquid. "Nothing for you to worry about, Nemy."

"Don't you start with that." Nemesis glared at him. "Spidey does that too, and it's so bloody annoying. Just leave the name as it is. Do people go around calling you Iron-y? I don't think so."

"Well – there was one time when …"

"Cut it, Stark. We don't need any stories. Let's focus on the task, and get this over and done with so I can go get pizza." Barton rocked back on his chair, peering down his nose at the other man.

Nemesis' stomach growled audibly, and she groaned in annoyance. "Food … Man, I want some of that. Please." She tried for puppy-dog eyes, sticking out her bottom lip and looking as pathetic as possible. "I haven't since like 6:00 p.m., and it's hungry work patrolling this place. Please."

"Why the hell not?" Stark threw his arms into the air. "We've got enough data to be going from now. I doubt she's going to attack us, and we've got two assassins and a green rage monster if we need them. Let's order takeout and relax for a bit."

Half an hour later and Nemesis is sitting in some sort of lounge area, alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Well, most of them. Several boxes of pizza are stacked upon the table, plus three tubes of fries and various condiments. A huge flat screen TV blares in the background, but Nemesis isn't watching that. She's watching the people sat on the seats around her, munching and feasting just like any group of friends having a gettogether. It's giving her vertigo; Nemesis was expecting a lot of things, but not this. Not this.

Reaching across the table, Nemesis snatches a couple of pieces of pepperoni, settling them on a box lid she ripped from one of the discarded boxes. She really doesn't need to get oil and grease all over her suit. How would you explain that to the dry cleaners?

 _Hi, I'm not really that vigilante you've heard on the news, I just happen to have a similar outfit. How much do you charge?_ No – that wouldn't go down easily.

Other than the TV, they're pretty much sat in silence, bar the occasional comment from the others. Nemesis is still in wonder at how she's on the same sofa as Black Widow, eating pizza and watching TV as though it's the most natural thing in the world. Her body was going haywire, and she felt like she's likely to explode.

The noises from the building don't help either. Her enhanced ears are picking up on everything within 6 stories of their current floor. It only really becomes clear when Nemesis focuses on the sounds, but the overall background noise is enough. The whole tower is a hive of activity completely foreign to the usual sounds of her dorm building. She'd gotten used to the sounds of around her shared apartment, but this place was completely new. People were bustling around, doing jobs despite the late hour and machinery was whirling throughout the building. It was enough to make Nemesis drop the food and clutch at her ears.

Black Widow, ever the spy, noticed first and flashed her a vaguely concerned look. "You alright? You don't look so good."

"'m fine. Just need to … need to block it … it all out and then I can … can be ok." Her words came in starts between her panting. Nemesis' face was all screwed up in an attempt to block out the noise, noise, noise that surrounded her.

By this point, both Barton and Banner were looking over at Nemesis. Stark was dozing in his chair, looking as though he desperately needed the sleep. Nemesis tried to calm her racing heart, seeking a sound to latch onto and keep listening to. But nothing was coming to her, and Nemesis' ears were starting to ache. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, she knew that, yet it still hurt.

For lack of anything better to do, Nemesis began to hum the alphabet. The familiar song soothed her and helped slow her raising heart. The tune was completely normal, simple, and unlike the buzz of activity coming from around the tower. It helped.

That was all Nemesis needed: something to concentrate on doing. With herself now focused on other things, the background noise dulled and her hearing levels lessened to something a little above the normal range. If she concentrated, Nemesis could focus her hearing again but she preferred to keep everything at normal human levels. It was too much otherwise, and she just couldn't cope. Especially not in a completely new place.

The others – excluding the still-sleeping Stark – were still giving Nemesis concerned looks. It surprised the young vigilante, who had expected little of the powerful Avengers, considering they had kidnapped her and all. But each of them was expressing some degree of worry on their faces, despite not knowing a thing about her. Well, Nemesis knew they had a file of facts and data but they had nothing on personality and what made her tick. Those things could be much more important than a string of facts could ever be.

"What was all that about, kiddo? 'Cos that did not look like something 'fine'. I – "Barton seemed to pause as though about to reveal something, but thought better of it. "I know all about pretending to be okay when everything is clearly tumbling around me. Just because I don't know you doesn't mean I don't care when someone looks in pain. I'm an assassin-spy-archer, not a robot." His blue eyes flicker up to the ceiling. "No offence, JARVIS."

"None taken. However, I must stress, Agent Barton, that I am not a robot. I have no corporeal form for undertaking tasks." The AI's voice seemed mildly amused, as though it was a mistake people made all the time.

 _Amazing_ , Nemesis thought, _how it – JARVIS – could express emotions, though only a computer system. Truly wonderful._

Nemesis removed her hands from her ears, casting her eyes downwards. "It's nothing. Well … I just … It gets so loud sometimes, and I … I can't focus. There's too much noise. Not … not from you guys … it's the floors around us … all the people … all the machines and systems and … I just can't focus in new places with so much noise!" She looked upwards, head ducking downwards. "It's not … not weird, is it? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, it's weird." Nemesis slumped down in the chair, tucking her feet underneath her.

"So … you have some kind of enhanced hearing then, I guess?" Banner's mild tone interrupted Nemesis' turbulent thoughts. "How far can you hear?"

"Um … " Nemesis had never really had to answer questions about her abilities before. "I think it was about 6 stories away the most I could hear – " she murmured, hearing startled gasps from the others, "in either direction. Not … not really focused, just background noise buzzing around in my ears. Noise, noise, noise. Far too loud. It's only when I, um, concentrate that I can … can hear something clearly at that distance."

"That's … Wow, that's pretty far, kiddo. Guess you could give Cap a run for his money with 'the ability to hear conversations despite not being anywhere close'." Barton gave a low whistle, then snatched up the TV remote. "You need this quieter?"

Nemesis was silent for a moment before shaking her head, gaping at the fact that they (or Clint at least) were ready to do things, just to make her more comfortable. It was ridiculous. First, they kidnap her; second, interrogate her; and third, have a pizza party with her. What kind of people were they?

A little voice in her head answered her: the _best_ kind.

* * *

 **So, Nemesis meets the Avengers. Well, most of them. This is taking place maybe a month or two before _Age of Ultron_ (hence the presence of most of the Avengers at the Tower).**

 **Here's the translation. I don't know Russian or Italian, just google translate.**

 **Italian:-**

 _Io non parlo inglese - I don't speak English._

 **Russian:-**

 _Chto ty khochesh', chtoby ya skazal - What do you want me to say?_

 _Eto zavisit. Skol'ko yazykov vy uznali - It depends. How many languages did you learn?_

 _Okolo_ chetyrekh ili pyati _,_ ignoriruya angliyskiy _. Ponimayete,_ eto pomogayet _,_ kogda _u vas_ yest _'_ eydeticheskaya pamya _\- About four or five, ignoring English. You see, it helps when you have an eidetic_ _memory_.

 **Anyways, have a wonderful Christmas on Monday. I hope you get the presents you want and the most magical experience.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**

 **3 days until Christmas**

 **Merry Christmas!**


	6. Breakfast and Battles

**Another dose of Avengers for you all now. I know I've got quite a few chapters before we even get vaguely close to the main events of Age Of Ultron, but I want to build up this story first and let you actually get to know my OCs.**

 **I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

 **I don't own anything, just my OCs.**

* * *

 **Breakfast and Battles**

* * *

The next time Nemesis woke she was sprawled on something soft and squishy, covered in fluffy blankets and snuggling into the cushions. Light was spilling in through large windows, warm and comforting. She stretched, arching her back like a cat and yawning. Nemesis rolled over and promptly fell on a hard, wooden floor with a thump. Frowning, she scrambled to her feet and almost stubbed her toes on an unfamiliar coffee table.

She backed away into the glass windows, starting at the height she was standing at. For a moment Nemesis struggled to place how she had ended up inside a skyscraper, sleeping on a sofa that didn't belong to her or anyone she knew.

Kidnap. Pizza party. Falling asleep whilst watching _Doctor Who_.

Her mouth gaped open, and Nemesis slid down the window, landing on her bum on the floor. She wasn't wearing her boots, but her brown eyes spotted them just next to the sofa she had been snoozing on. Nemesis put her head in her hands, embarrassed at how she'd managed to look like such an idiot in front of the Avengers. But then again, they had feed her pizza and watched TV with her, as though the Avengers regularly held pizza parties with random vigilantes they'd kidnapped on the streets.

A lift chimed and Nemesis flicked her head up towards the sound. A pair of men walked out, one of them dragging the other by his collar. Neither seemed surprised to see her. Instead, both waved her over to the kitchen area they were headed to. Nemesis shrugged and clambered to her feet, following them into them into the kitchen.

The kitchen looked like a spaceship, with futuristic steel worktops and all sorts of gleaming contraptions and tools. A huge coffee machine sat in one corner, and an industrial-sized oven sat in the other. Tony and Bruce had gone straight for mugs of coffee and tea respectively. Nemesis was tempted to join them. But she was still unsure about her standing here. So, she hung back, shoulders slumped and head ducked.

"You want something, kiddo?" Tony waved a mug in her direction, looking a lot more alive after downing two cups of coffee. "You conked out better quickly, according to Brucie-bear."

Nemesis' eyebrows shot up at the nickname. Bruce seemed more resigned to it than anything and just shrugged in her direction. "Uh … do you guys still need me here, or can I go home? I kinda need to go to class and – " She paled, hands flying to her mouth, "oh sweet Darleks, my best friend doesn't know. Madison is gonna kill me. Twice."

"That's a few, ah … interesting curses you've got there. But we still need to talk to you, Nemesis. At least have breakfast." Bruce gave her a kind smile, gesturing to all the fancy gear. "If you can figure out the kitchen after all. Anyway, do you have class on Sundays?"

"Sunday … Sunday?!" Nemesis half-yelled, eyes flying to the clock. Sure enough, it was dated Sunday at 10:26 a.m. "I've been here over 36 hours! What the actual forking hell?"

"Yeah … you seemed pretty tired so we let you sleep. Tweety-bird and scary-lady might have kidnapped you but we're not heartless. You looked like you needed the sleep, Nemy." Tony settled down a stool, nibbling on a slice of leftover pizza. "Like, I know all about staying up for too long and not sleeping. Your body eventually conks you out. Or one of these idiots come and drag you off to bed, right Brucie?"

Bruce murmurs his assent, concentrating on making poached eggs. Nemesis decided to take a stab at looking for food in the overly complicated kitchen, rooting around cupboards for something to toast. She'd spotted the shiny red and gold toaster when she first walked over. Toast was one of the easy breakfasts, and Nemesis was counting on there being some type of bread in the kitchen. As long as it wasn't too seedy, they'd be alright. Then again, this was the home of a billionaire, there could be anything in here.

"You got any pikelets?" Nemesis asked, turning back to face Bruce and Tony who both wore looks of confusion. "Oh ... right … um … crumpets – you might know them as that. Small, spongy things with lots of holes. Delicious with oodles of butter."

Bruce glanced over his shoulder at her. "Do you mean English muffins?"

Nemesis pulled a face, leaning on the counter towards him. "Those things are abominations and no way English. Trust me, I'm from Yorkshire. I know pikelets – crumpets – and those things are nothing the same. For starters, crumpets taste nice and are all spongy; perfect for covering with way more butter than you thought you needed. Those muffins are completely different and missing the holes. They're a bit more like breakfast muffins, but even then, it's a poor comparison." She sighed, rummaging in one last cupboard and seized a loaf of bread. "Guess I'll stick with toast."

"Passionate, aren't you?" Tony quipped, eyebrows raised.

"Hey! I'm allowed to like my country. You're the ones who turn into a massive patriotic soup of idiots on the 4th of July. I'm nothing compared to you guys. There are no legs for you to stand on." Nemesis waggled a slice of bread at him.

Tony slapped a hand over his heart in a dramatic show of shock and hurt. "How could say such things?!" But then he slipped back to his normal tone. "Don't let Rogers hear you say things like that, he'll have a fit then give you a lecture."

"Just because his superhero name is Captain America doesn't mean he has to be completely patriotic all the time. I wouldn't if this was my country." Silence greeted her words. "Oh, come on. You have a shit healthcare system where the rich can afford and the poor have to choose between food, housing, or medicine. College tuition situation. Housing. Discrimination. There's a lot of problems.

"I'm not saying my country is perfect – far from it in fact. But there's not an awful lot to be proud of when there's still so much further to go. Like, come on. It's 2015. This country needs to wake up soon, and realise it's got to change. Or better yet, the people in charge need to listen to those who already know change needs to happen. _Soon_."

The pop! of the toaster spooked them all from the silence that had fallen between them. Bruce started eating his eggs, and Nemesis busied about for some butter. She munched on the crunchy slices, sipping at a glass of orange Bruce had poured for her. It seemed an awful lot like any regular breakfast, except for the fact she was eating in one of the most secure buildings in the world with the Hulk and Iron Man. Surreal. That was the only word to describe it.

Nemesis' ears picked up on a faint noise rustling in the direction of the vents. Soon enough, a sandy-haired man popped out acting as though he did that all the time. Nemesis rolled her eyes and continued eating, watching Hawkeye with new interest. The guy crawled around in the _vents_? These people were definitely crazy.

A few minutes later and the lift pinged again; Black Widow walked out. _Natasha Romanoff,_ Nemesis reminded herself. The red-headed looked immaculate but surprisingly casual in skinny jeans and an Avengers' t-shirt. Nemesis looked down at her own outfit, her vigilante suit which she'd been wearing for the past two nights apparently. Not good. She needed to go home and shower and change. Maybe take a few days off to soak in everything that had happened.

As if she'd get the chance.

"Um … " Nemesis started up, cringing under the weight of everyone's gazes. It had been okay with just two others in the room who were busy, but with everyone now focusing on her, Nemesis was starting to panic a little. "About that proposal. Can I find out about it already? Because I have to go home and shower and change. I've got to tell my best friend that I'm okay and hope she doesn't murder me. Several times."

"I'd have thought you would've figured it out by now, kid. We're seeing if you're any good for the Avengers, of course." Clint spoke up without looking away from his plate. "We just need to get a good scope of your skills and abilities then we're good to make an offer or not."

"What?!"

 **oOo**

Just under an hour later and Astraea was freshly showered and wearing borrowed gym clothes. She suspected they came from Natasha, considering she was the only female on the team. Which, apparently, could change if Astraea was deemed suitable. She wasn't certain if her choice was being taken into account. The Avengers had kidnapped her in the first place, but maybe that was just to make sure she would come. If they'd just asked her on the streets, Astraea would have said no. She wouldn't have felt worthy of being around superheroes, gods, and assassins. But having spent some time with the Avengers, she was feeling a lot more relatable to them. They seemed a lot more like a group of messed-up but incredible people in an unlikely friendship.

So, Astraea was warming up in some kind of training room. There was a large mat for sparring and a pool through a door at the other end. Changing rooms and showers were through another door. All the equipment looked ultra-futuristic under Astraea's untrained eye. Treadmills, bikes, and cross-trainers were all positioned to face the doorway. Several scuff marks littered the walls as though someone had been caught unawares and started shooting. Oddly enough, that didn't surprise Astraea. Not when you considered the people who used this room. She wouldn't want to come unannounced into their presence either. Astraea didn't plan on losing any limbs for silly reasons like that.

Her wide-eyed glances seemed to amuse her fellows, who all shared small grins at the younger person too awed by the room to notice them. Astraea finished her exercises and spun to face the group, ponytail swinging behind her.

"So, what am I supposed to be doing?" Astraea bounced on her toes, eager to exercise after spending too long feeling way too drained to do anything. It seemed her late nights and early mornings had strained her body but a whole day spent catching up on sleep had eased that. Astraea was ready for action again.

"We need to assess your skills. Stamina, speed, flexibility, etc. We'll be using a range of equipment and finishing with a sparring session. This is about seeing just how much you can do, and how much you can't. Start on the sparring mat – I want to see how flexible your body is and any gymnastic or dance skills." Natasha stepped forwards, her voice strictly in trainer mode. It sounded well-used and the kind of tone you didn't cross lightly.

Astraea gulped nervously. This was going to be a long session.

 **oOo**

Two hours had been and gone. Astraea had passed through several gruelling obstacles including an intense obstacle course, cardio tests, and a beep test that remained her of secondary school P.E. lessons. She'd pulled out all her gymnastic skills, drawing on training in her youth and continued practice in the college gyms. There'd been some complex moves, and Astraea could only say her enhanced body, rapid learning, and eidetic memory were the main aids for that. It didn't take too long for her to master a new move and her memory meant she wouldn't forget how to do it. But Astraea didn't consider those her own skills; she was just lucky (or unlucky) to have come into contact with a drug that fixed her mother and enhanced Astraea as a foetus. That wasn't her own effort but pure chance.

Now, having completed all those tasks, Astraea was moving onto the final test. Sparring. She'd had a ten-minute break, but was still feeling incredibly nervous at the prospect of fighting one of the Avengers. Bruce was unlikely to spar given the chance of turning into a green rage monster; Tony was a possibility, but it was more likely to be either Clint or Natasha. The pair were both highly trained assassins and probably capable of killing her with a paperclip in 12 different ways. Each.

She stepped onto the mat, pulling off trainers and socks. Her hair was coming loose from the ponytail, so Astraea fixed it up again, hands shaking in a combination of nerves and anticipation. Whoever stepped up to the mat Astraea would face as well as she could. The spar was likely to end with end with Astraea lying on the mat in ten-seconds flat. Or so she expected.

Flicking her gaze on from where it was focused on the floor, Astraea saw Clint step up to the mat also barefoot. She gulped nervously and settled into a fighting stance.

"Don't suppose you'll go easy on me because I'm a guest?" Astraea tried, gaining a small chuckle from her sparring partner.

"'Fraid not. No going easy here, excluding injured people and Bruce, of course."

"Shame."

Natasha stepped forwards, casting both fighters a stern look. "I want to see everything you've got. No attacks at private areas or eyes, and no weapons. Use any style of fighting you want, though I expect this to be mainly various styles of martial arts." She paused for a moment. "Try not to last less than 30 seconds, kid." She blew a small metal whistle signalling the start of the spar.

Almost immediately Clint was rushing towards her, flicking a leg out to kick her torso. Astraea leapt backwards. Her fists went up and she struck at his side. The blows didn't make contact. She rolled to one side, dodging Clint's hits. Astraea employed her greater strength, tackling Clint to the ground. They rolled over and Clint punched her torso. She stumbled to the side, stomach aching. Clint hit again, catching her side with three powerful hits. Astraea hit the ground.

The others were all watching with neutral faces. Clint was standing over, victorious. Something stirred in Astraea and pushed herself up again. It surprised everyone, including Astraea. She wasn't going down that easily.

She moved quickly, catching Clint in the knee with a well-aimed kick. He grunted. Astraea moved closer. Clint punched her. One hit landed, but Astraea blocked the other. She struck back, pushing him away. He kicked her, and Astraea flipped backwards. As she landed, he charged her and they both hit the mat again. Clint's weight pinned her down, and Astraea struggled to break his hold. Her legs kicked out. Both her hands were caught in Clint's. As she squirmed on the floor, Natasha blew the whistle. The sparring was over.

Clint regained his feet and offered Astraea a hand which she accepted. He was smiling at her.

"Good effort kid. You didn't do badly against a trained agent. You know, for someone untrained," Clint said her.

Astraea frowned. There was a question hidden in there, but she protested his words anyway. "I am trained! Just not to the level that you spy-assassins obviously are. Besides, you're older than me. You've got more experience."

Tony nudged Bruce and wiggled his eyebrows. "Here that. I'm oldest so I must have more experience than everyone else. Excluding Cap. We don't count him."

"Because he's actually only lived however old his biological age is? And not for all the seventy years, he spent as an iced americano," Astraea questioned the billionaire.

"Oh, that's a good nickname, kiddo. Iced Americano. I'm so using that next time I see him." Tony turned to Natasha. "Which will be when?" Natasha just shrugged and gave him a blank look. "Fine. Keep your little spy secrets to yourself Natashalie."

"Can you … could you please stop calling me 'kid' and kiddo'?" Astraea muttered, eyes on the ground. "I do have a name. Also, I'm not a child. I can drink in two years' time."

"Aww … You're going to be the baby out of all us!" Tony crowed excitedly. "I know you have a name, _Astraea_ , but I like nicknames. It's my tower, so my rules."

"Pepper gets 12%, though." Clint gave Tony a significant look. "I don't think she'd be happy with you."

"Eh. She's like 87% of my impulse control, but she's not here. What Pepper don't know can't hurt her."

With that, Tony and Bruce left the gym followed by Natasha and Clint. Astraea stood there for a moment, confused by the whole last part of the conversation. But she soon ran after them, keen not to be left in the building all alone.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading you fabulous people!**

 **I hope y'all had a brilliant Christmas and got everything you wanted.**

 **On another note, your wonderful reviews are like presents to me. Seriously, they make me smile whenever** i **read them. So, thank you.**

 **Here's wishing you a wonderful new year - may it be better than the last.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	7. Welcome back, you absolute arse

**Hey there guys, I'm back again with another chapter for all you fabulous readers.**

 **I hope you enjoy it. Just some nice fluffy friendship.**

 **I don't own Marvel. Sadly.**

* * *

 **Welcome back, you absolute arse**

* * *

The key was cool against Astraea's fingers as she dithered outside her apartment door, debating whether or not she should go in and brave the wrath of Madison, her best friend. She'd been away for nearly two days, unplanned, but Madison was a worrier. If she had so much as a cold, Madison would be there with all the supplies needed and more. Astraea had been out for nearly two days and she was honestly surprised Madison hadn't declared her a missing person. It wouldn't be too far out of the way.

On top of that, Astraea had missed a whole day of lectures. She'd have to find someone from her class who made good enough notes and hope they'd be kind enough to lend her the notes. She wasn't paying thousands of dollars to miss classes and potentially fail her exams. Astraea might already have two degrees but that didn't mean she could just fail this one. It'd be a huge waste of money and Astraea really didn't want the debt. She worked in a café on Saturdays and in a bookstore in the evenings. The only free time she really had was Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings. One of which she had just slept away.

Ridiculous.

Taking a deep breath, Astraea unlocked the door and stepped in. "Hey. I'm … I'm home, Mads." The feeble call fell into a whisper and Astraea moved forwards silently. She couldn't see Madison in the living room, or in the kitchen.

Suddenly, 5"4 of blonde-haired fury launched herself out of Astraea's room, tackling her into a hug that sent both girls thumping onto the wooden floor. Madison was crying and punching Astraea – a mixed response.

"You. Absolute. Arse." Each word was punctuated with another punch. "I can't believe you were … I was so … so worried and you come back … and say hey? Hey?! What kinda of response is 'hey'? How about 'sorry I was out for two days and worried you sick'? And 'I won't do it again'. What about that? You're an absolute bastard, you know that, Rhea? I was worried … and scared … and worried … and frightened … and … and …" She trailed off into tears, glaring at Astraea intensely. "I'm glad you're okay."

Astraea gently prised herself free, pushing her and Madison back up. She hugged her again. "I'm sorry, okay?" Her hands rubbed small circles on Madison's back. "I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I did kinda get kidnapped by the Avengers and had a pizza party with them. The first bit was terrifying, the second bit even more so." She pulled back from the hug.

"You had a pizza party with the Avengers? Why didn't you invite me?"

"Because it was like 3 a.m. you twat. Did you want to be woken up at that time?"

Madison crossed her arms, stubborn. "I would've if it might I knew where my best friend was when she just suddenly decided to disappear. I'm going to paraphrase a certain magical mother and say: Bed empty! No note! Supersuit gone!'" She waggled a finger at her. "'You could have died – you could have been seen!"

Astraea gave a watery smile. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not a group of underage teenage wizards then. I'm sorry. I really am … I just – well, I _was_ asleep for a whole day so I guess that bit wasn't entirely my fault. And …"

"I'll be deciding the fault part, Missy." Madison raised her eyebrows at her, casting her a stern and withering glare. "You were the one who decided it was a good idea to dress up in a costume and fight crime at night. Which, is pretty cool I must say, but a smidge irresponsible." She waved a hand. "Continue this thrilling tale."

"And I got offered a job? Sort of?" Astraea shrugged as Madison gasped. "Um … yeah, well they had me show off my 'abilities and skills' for some sort of assessment thingy. I'm not sure. Anyways, I don't think I'll get it and I don't want to. What am I supposed to do if they call and I'm in the middle of a lecture? Run out? I can't do that and I refuse to quit college. I have a life and I'm perfectly comfortable in it."

"Yeah … but think how much you could get paid? There's always doing online courses to finish your degree, and the paycheck I'm sure you'll get will counter-act the need to stay in college. You can go be a superhero, Rhea. There's plenty of people who would leap at the chance. Go for it, girl!"

"But … but what about you? I don't want to leave you here by yourself. It's not fair. You're my best friend and I refuse to abandon you."

"Gurl, I'm cool with that – well, more like lukewarm with that – if you want to go save the world. I'll be best friends with a superhero. How many people can say that? Plus, you'll be able to get me into all sorts of awesome Stark parties."

"It's more trouble than it's worth … I can't do it." Astraea shook her head. "It's not … not what I ever thought of doing or even something I want to do. I can't just … just disappear off to save the world whenever. I have a life that I love the way it is. I don't want to change that … I don't want things to change … "Tears pricked at her eyes and she raised a heavy hand to wipe them away, "Things change and then they go wrong. I like things the way they are."

"Hey there, Rhea, it's okay." Madison stepped forwards, wrapping Astraea in her comforting grip. "You don't have to do anything. If you decide against it, Rhea, just tell them to stuff it. Saving the world is great and all, but sometimes all you can save is one person. It's okay if that person is you. You're important too, to me and your family and that's worth more than throwing away your life on something you'll regret." She gave a tinkling laugh, stepping back from the hug but still gripping Astraea's hand. "I still think it'd be cool to have a superhero best friend. It's an opportunity this, and you need more than ten minutes to think about it."

Astraea sniffled, leaning against her best friend. "You … you're the most amazing person ever, you know that, right? I'm just selfish and stupid and … you always put everyone else first. I don't need superheroes, Mads, you're the best hero for me. I don't know how I'd function without you."

"I wouldn't call dressing in a supersuit and saving people 'selfish', you silly idiot. It's better damn brave. I couldn't do that – even if I did have superpowers. You know I'd just chicken out and run away."

"I'm not brave, either." Astraea insisted, nibbling on her bottom lip. "I just think about the other people – they need me to stand up and save them so I do. It's that simple. If I had to be brave for me … Anyways, you girl, are the fiercest person I know. You always help the underdog and support anyone regardless of an impact on you." She tilted her head, casting Madison a thoughtful look. "Are you sure that's not brave?"

Madison blushed and nudged Astraea's shoulder gently. "Shut up, you. Come then superhero, time for food and sleep." She wrinkled her nose up, smelling Astraea's borrowed clothes and her 'Nemesis' suit. "And a shower. You absolutely stink."

"Hey! I had a shower when I was at the Tower."

"Yeah? What did you wash in – Eau de sewer? Come on, smelly-welly, bath time for you." Madison pushed Astraea into the bathroom, ignoring the other girl's protests. "And don't come out until you smell like flowers and meadows."

 **oOo**

Now freshly showered and dressed in her own jeans and t-shirt, Astraea was sat leaning against the sofa eating toasted sandwiches with Madison. Astraea had decided to make lunch for Madison, all of her favourites even though she hated the smell of spring onions for Madison's special stir-fry sandwich. They were munching in silence, engrossed in the next episode of _Merlin_ , but Madison broke it with a tentative statement.

"Um … I did actually sorta know about your, uh, abilities before you told me." Madison stammered into silence and Astraea spun round to give her a questioning look, brown eyes wide. "Well … not exactly all the stuff about the super-y stuff but – I did, kinda, suspect that you were … were in some kinda fight club of some sort."

Astraea sat there in stunned silence.

"I mean, you would turn up in the morning with loads of bruises, cuts barely hidden by long sleeves, and all kinds of tiny injuries you never seemed to mention. I just thought you went to some sort of boxing or Kung Fu or whatever place – I never expected the badass skills from that night. You seemed to, like, know a lot more than I thought you did, considering all those bruises. Not so secret after all, Rhea."

"Wait – "Astraea opened her mouth before closing it again, like a fish gasping stupidly, "you knew – well, sort of – and let me stew without ever letting on about anything. Damn girl. That is some seriously good secret keeping; I shall be ringing you up if I ever need to hide a body," she joked, earning a small laugh from Madison.

"You know it." Madison for silent for a few heavy moments, seemingly weighing up her next words. "I hope you're not going to call me out for keeping my own secret."

"Uh, Mads, my secret was crazy selfish of me to keep and yours was just curiosity. I think you get to keep another ten secrets from me before we're even. Or maybe one really big one." She gave her best friend a sly glance from the corner of her eye. "You don't have any of those do you?"

Madison gave a laugh that sounded more nervous than joyful to Astraea. The other girl's features twisted into a wry smile and her tired green eyes seemed clouded, smudged with day-old mascara and dark bags for nights worrying for her best friend. "Maybe. Maybe not."

 **oOo**

Astraea had fallen asleep and Madison was watching her, a fond look in her eyes. One hand snaked out to stroke back the dark looks from Astraea's forehead. The poor teen needed the rest if the meagre knowledge Madison had of her friend's night time activities was in anyway accurate. Sometimes the local radio would run a story from another group of witnesses – either those who had been attacked or ones who had merely been nearby. The accounts may have been glorified by the media and dramatised by the witnesses but they still made Madison terrified for her friend's safety. She might see herself as dispensable, but Madison would never regard her friend in such a way. Now she sat beside her, guarding her as she slept, wishing she could do something more to keep her safe for the things she was intent on fighting by herself. Madison sits on the other end of the sofa, tucking a little of the blanket around herself as keeps watch.

After half an hour, Madison can feel the sofa she slumps on moving as her friend squirms and thrashes, trapped by whatever her head is showing her. Then Astraea screams, a heart-wrenching sound of utter sorrow. Her limbs go rigid and Madison is up, anxiously trying to wake her friend. Madison is just contemplating throwing a jug of cold water over her when she stills once more, seemingly peaceful again.

Then it starts. The panicked words blurting out in English, Spanish, German, and the other three languages that Astraea speaks. Madison knows now that her friend's brain can learn rapidly, attributing to her ability to pick up languages with relative ease. It also explains the two decrees Astraea already has; Madison doesn't think Astraea knows that she knows about them. She never brings them up in conversation.

"Please … por favor no los lastimes ... fue mi culpa," Astraea muttered in her sleep. "Es waren nicht sie ... zu ihnen nicht weh ... bitte ... verletze mich stattdessen, ich habe es verursacht …"

Madison could only pick out a few words; the last time she had done Spanish and German had been in High School, and it had been a good few months since she'd even spoke it to anyone. But she knew a little – Astraea was begging someone not to hurt others, saying it was all her fault. Madison didn't want to know what kind of people would act in a such a way that could cause nightmares for her normally stoic friend. Then again, Madison was a deep sleeper and was usually asleep before Astraea. Maybe her best friend had always had nightmares – Madison had just never heard them.

Stepping closer to her slumbering roommate, more confident to do so now Astraea wasn't flinging her limbs around, Madison laid a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder in an act of comfort. It jolted the sleeping girl awake and she leapt forwards, rolling into a standing position and knocking Madison a few steps backwards. Guilt made Astraea's brown eyes blurry and she stuck a hand out to help Madison to sit beside her on the sofa.

"Hey …" Madison spoke carefully and gently, trying to soothe her friend, "you can tell me anything, you know that, right?" Her lips quirked up into a sad smile.

Astraea just leaned against her friend, wrapping arms around her neck and crying onto her shoulder. The other girl patted her back, uncertain and cautious. There was no telling as to how Astraea's mind was working at this moment.

"It's just so … so horrible … and I can't … can't … " Sobs fractured her words as Astraea cried, "people just like to hurt other people … they didn't deserve it … it was my fault … and they just … like they were mere flies on the wall … as though they didn't matter." She pulled back, staring right at an unnerved Madison with steely brown eyes that seemed to boil with hidden lava. "But they did matter. To the world they just somebody, but to somebody, they were the world. Now they're gone and I'm here and … and … Why is that way around?"

Madison felt as though she'd been slapped. Then proceeded to actually slap Astraea. The taller girl blinked back at her, surprised but undaunted.

"Hey! Enough of this talk. I'm not going to talk if this is what you discuss. Astraea, you are my friend and the world to me. You matter as much as anyone else. But I can't keep telling you this unless _you_ tell you it. You need to take a better look at your mental health and say 'this isn't okay, and I want to fix it'. Because this can't continue. Maybe this has only happened once, but the look on your face makes me think otherwise. It's okay if you only want to tell me at first, but you've got to tell someone."

Astraea nodded vaguely before collapsing back on the cushions with Madison watching carefully. After a few moments she was gazing in disbelief – her friend had fallen asleep again! _Well_ , she thought with a wry grin, _that was one way to avoid talking_.

 **oOo**

A few hours later, and Astraea was keeping guard over Madison as she slept. Though she couldn't recall the conversation they'd had when Astraea was half-asleep, she knew Madison had been looking after her, just in case. Astraea welcomed it but also wanted Madison to forget about her friend's problems. She doesn't need Astraea keeping her awake at night.

The thought has barely entered Astraea's mind when a scream interrupts her train of thought. Madison is pushing herself awake, tangled in blankets and covered in sweat. Astraea rushes to her side, taking her hand. It was something she learnt, after the first time Madison had a nightmare with her around, that holding hands with another helped her feel more grounded. There was something in her past that had to have made her like this but Astraea had never asked. It wasn't fair to bring up traumatic memories for her best friend. But it was something Astraea had always wondered about.

"Hey, hey … it's me, Mads. Astraea." She gripped Madison's hand tighter, smoothing blonde locks back from her forehead. "You're perfectly safe here. There's just us. You're safe."

Madison gulped, struggling into a sitting position. "I'm safe," she repeats, body shaking, "I'm safe. It's just us."

The words seem to help and soon Madison seems to have relaxed her breathing. Astraea crouches beside her, happy to help out Madison in her turn. It's part of their friendship; each of them helps the other in whatever way they can.

"It was you." Madison starts, ignoring Astraea's quizzical look. "You were the one in my dream today … falling away … too far for me to reach. I couldn't grab your hand and … you fell. Into nothingness, into everything. It's just so … so terrifying. I know you're here, but then you weren't over the last few days. Rhea, I … I can't stop worrying about something, anything happening to you."

"Hey," Astraea strokes her friend's hand, speaking slowly and soothingly, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. See, no wounds or anything? I promise to tell you where I'm going in the future now, yeah? And if I end up taking a, uh, _detour_ , then I'll send you a message. I've got a burner phone and I'll call or … or text and … I'll be okay. You don't to worry, daft-y. That's my job."

"I-idiot …" Madison sniffs, wiping her eyes with her free hand and giving Astraea a blearily smile. "I'm the worrier, and you're the one who gets into trouble." She laughs before turning more serious, looking into Astraea's eyes with a gaze of steel. "Promise me you'll think about being an Avenger, and that you'll come home safe every time."

Astraea nods.

"Say … say it. Say that you promise." Madison sounds on the verge of tears.

"I … I promise. I'll think about it, and I promise to come home safe."

Madison nods vaguely, slipping back into sleep. "G-good. Remember to get me autographs and an apartment in Avengers' Tower when you get in."

"I … I will - don't worry about it." Astraea gives a watery laugh as Madison goes back to sleep, still clutching onto her friend's hand.

 **oOo**

The new day found the duo curled against each other, collapsed on a pile of cushions and blankets, and holding each other's hands. Protecting each other in sleep as much as they did awake. An inseparable pair of fierce friends ready to fight the world to keep the other safe. Or to be a guardian against the terrors of nightmares. Best friends until the last.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, as always. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favourited this humble story. It makes me smile.**

 **I hope you are all having a wonderful new year (so far!).**

 **Translations:- (courtesy of google translate)**

 **Spanish**

 _por favor no los lastimes ... fue mi culpa - please do not hurt them ... it was my fault_

 **German**

 _Es waren nicht sie ... zu ihnen nicht weh ... bitte ... verletze mich stattdessen, ich habe es verursacht_ … _\- It was not them ... do not hurt them ... please ... hurt me instead, I caused it ..._

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	8. By the letter

**Heyo guys! Nice to see you again for my weekly posting.**

 **We are not getting closer to the events of Age of Ultron, and I've got a few plot twists to add in. However, I will be sticking to canon where possible, but it is inevitable that some things will be changed or tweaked by having another super. You'll have to drop me a line if you want a certain speedster saved. If I owned Marvel, I would be bringing him back, ASAP.**

 **Sadly, I do not own Marvel. Only OCs and original plot.**

 **Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **By** **the letter**

* * *

The next day doesn't bring any more news about the proposal to become an Avenger. Neither does the day after. It's only after 12 days that Astraea hears back, having received a letter to come to a meeting at Avengers' Tower. Madison is almost as nervous-excited as Astraea and begs to come along and meet some of her heroes.

Black Widow is the one Madison is most eager to meet; declared both the most-terrifying and most-beautiful woman she's ever seen. Astraea laughed at that, saying that she might not even be there but confirmed the terrifying part. She was so glad that Natasha wasn't the one she had to spar. If it was, Astraea would likely have been coming back with a little more than a few bruises. Namely, cuts and maybe some broken bones.

So, they headed off to the Tower, deciding to take a subway despite the short trip. The journey was only 12 minutes and neither student bothered to hunt for a seat. They were unlike to find one, and there was virtually no point. It would probably take them just as long to find seats as to make the journey.

Both girls had been unsure of the dress code expected but had elected to go casual but smart. Blouses, nice shirts, trousers, and skirts were all options. Astraea had brought the letter, uncertain as to what was actually going to happen. The letter had been rather brief on details – only a time, date, and floor number to go on, past the civil courtesies making up the body of the message. She hoped they would mind that she'd brought a friend, not that Madison would have stayed behind anyways.

They entered the front doors, gaping at the beautiful lobby. Astraea had left via a back entrance before and now felt completely underdressed in her floaty top and flouncy skirt ensemble. Men and women were going about their business in fancy suits, clutching briefcases, handbags, and many folders. None of them gave the girls strange looks. Obviously, they were used to strange happenings in the Avengers' Tower. Two girls looking out-of-place would seem of little importance compared to gods, rage monsters, and super soldiers from the 1940s.

Having reached the front desk, heart pounding madly, Astraea cleared her throat, holding the letter forwards to the male receptionist they were nearest. Madison was still scanning the crowds for hints of superheroes.

"Um … hi," Astraea cursed herself inwardly at her quivering voice, "I'm here to see the Avengers. I got sent this letter – " she handed over the note, ignoring the sceptical look on the dark-skinned man's face, "and I have to be at that appointment exactly. 10:30 a.m."

The man studied the note for a moment, then tapped a few things on his computer screen. "I see. A Miss Astraea Blake, an appointment at 10:30 a.m. on floor 93, yes?" He gave her an expectant look, over the top of his rimless glasses.

"Oh … uh, yeah. That's me. Astraea Blake."

"Proof of identity?"

Astraea pulled her driving licence from her purse, along with her student card for University. Madison also produced hers."Here ya go."

"Hmm." He gave them a look over but seemed to see no problems. "Take these security passes and proceed to the elevator to the left. The employee elevator doesn't go that high, so you'll be taking the personal one for the Avengers." A hint of a grin appeared on his face. "Try not to break anything."

Astraea took her letter and both cards back, dumped them in her pocket before taking the passes. She and Madison headed to the lift, both wearing giddy but nervous grins on their faces. One behind the closed doors of the lift, they burst into bubbly giggles that turned into pure laughter.

A voice issued from the ceiling. "Are you in distress, or would you like to select your floor?" It was JARVIS.

Both girls sobered up, with Madison glancing at the ceiling in confusion. "Who the hell is that?" She whispered.

"My name is JARVIS and I am Mr Stark's personal assistant. Now, would you like to select your floor Misses Blake and Lance?"

"Uh … 93 … I think." Madison drew out the words, looking upwards uncertainly.

Astraea nodded, and the lift started up. The girls slumped against the sleek walls, still grinning at the fact they were in one of the most famous buildings in New York and the world. The fact that the Avengers lived there made it even more awe-inspiring. Astraea made met some of them, but that didn't take away the excitement of meeting them in a way that was an official invite and not an unofficial kidnapping. Followed by a pizza party, of course.

The ride up didn't seem that long, despite the distance of their ascent. In only a few minutes of riding in silence, the doors opened and the pair had to step out onto one of the Avengers' common floors. The entire space was a vast and open plan layout. A seating area was right in front of them; a game station with its own tv at the other end; a bar complete with stools; and many other recreational areas. Everything was sleek, shiny, and incredibly expensive-looking. It wasn't the same floor that Astraea had been to before.

Madison stepped out first, looking around with an expression of utmost glee on her tanned face. "This is so … just whoa … I can't even … " She turned to Astraea, a giddy smile lighting up her face, "I never thought I would ever see something as posh as this in person. It's amazing. I want to touch everything and make sure it's real!" Her footsteps echoed in the largely empty space as she ran around the floor in her flats.

"I know, I know," Astraea giggled, grabbing hold of her friend's arm, "but try not to break anything. I don't think we can afford to replace anything in here without winning the lottery first."

"True. Guess I'll just have to look then," she sighed, gently running her fingers over a leather settee.

As they wandered further place door at one end opened, revealing Tony Stark in the doorway, giving them an amused look. Behind him, separated from the main room by a glass wall, seemed to be some sort of conference room. A large, oval table dominated the room, sat around by four other people. Astraea and Madison exchanged nervous glances before moving closer.

"So, you received our message then? Good. Lots to discuss and I really don't want to waste time I could be using for science on this, so let's get this over and done with." He gestured inside and returned to his seat.

The girls walked in, feeling the heavy stares of everyone else in the room. Astraea was surprised no one had yet commented on Madison's presence. _Well_ , she thought, _it hadn't specified to come alone._ Not that that would have stopped Madison from trying to come along anyway.

"Uh … hi." Astraea tried, glancing down at her feet and nibbling her bottom lip.

Behind her, Madison snorted with laughter. "Ok – that was terrible." Astraea elbowed her. "Hey! It was, though. You can't tell me that 'hi' is a good way to introduce yourself to a group of supers."

Astraea scowled. "Yeah, well, it's something. What do you want me to do? Give a bloody speech and look like even more a twat. I don't think so." She shook her head and gave Madison another playful nudge, smiling.

Someone cleared their throat; it was Clint.

"We're here to give a proposal, Miss Blake." Captain America leaned forward, pushing a folder towards the girls. Astraea stepped forwards and took the folder with Madison peeping over her shoulder. "I'm sure you know what from your previous stay here." He gave Natasha and Clint a look; Natasha merely shrugged and returned his glance. "All the details of what this will entail are within the folder, including housing, pay, and a disclosure agreement for details of what goes on here. You'll also find a brief overview of expected duties associated with – "

"Holy sweet potatoes!" Madison interrupted, staring at the paper in front of the two best friends, "that is a shit-ton load of money. Man, you could pay both our debts off and maybe even have money to spare. Whoa … I need superpowers, ASAP, if these are the benefits." She glanced at the adults watching and blushed beetroot red. "Uh … sorry … continue."

" – with such a role. Medical care will also be included; given the nature of the Avengers' work we anticipate that you will need to use this service at some time." Astraea gapes at the last bit – free medical care would be great, but she doesn't really want to have to go on dangerous missions to get it. "We'll give you some time to read all the information and come to a decision."

Astraea nods. "I'm okay to read this in private, right?" She gestures out the door, towards one of the sitting areas in the common room.

"Of course."

She waves to Madison, who follows the other girl from the room.

 **oOo**

Once outside, the girls collapse on the nearest sofa, clearly relieved to be out of the room. Astraea sure the Avengers could still hear and see them; the building is likely the most advanced in the world. It'd make sense that the place would have cameras and sensors everywhere.

"You should totally go for it!" Madison half-shouts, gripping Astraea by the shoulder. "I mean, the money alone is awesome, but housing and free medical to boot? That's too good to refuse."

Astraea stands, dropping the folder on the cushions, and begins pacing backwards and forwards, nibbling on the bottom lip. "I can't just … It'd mean getting up and completely remaking my life. We have a routine, and jobs, and university to think about. I can't … I _won't_ just throw all that away."

Madison scrambles to her feet too, waving her arms at Astraea in exasperation. "You'll be throwing away a massive opportunity if you don't! Here is a chance for you to do something amazing, and you're just going to give up without even trying it! That's the most ridiculous, selfish thing I've heard you say yet."

"It's selfish of me? For wanting to have control over my own life?"

"Yes! Especially when it's an opportunity for you to save so many other people!"

"What happened to it being okay for me to just save myself? Huh? What happened to that?" Astraea steps closer to her friend, angry now.

"That's still okay. But you won't even try. That part is not okay at all." Madison runs a hand through her hair, calming her breathing. "Look, I did some research on the New York alien invasion after you got this proposal. The death toll they got is high – I know that – but without them, the death count could have been 7 billion people. You can't save everyone, but if you can save most everyone then isn't that something worth attempting. Don't you even want to give this a go?"

"I … "Astraea thumped down onto the floor and tucked her long legs underneath, voice quivering slightly from nerves or anger. "I just can't, okay? I can't do this. I can't … "

"Why?" Madison pressed, using a gentler tone now. "Why can't you? Is it me – are you worried about leaving me alone because – "

"I'm scared!" She burst out, eyes widening and tears beginning to spark in her eyes. "I'm scared, alright? I'm just scared shitless about the possibility of dying somewhere far away from home, far away from my best friend. This … it's too much. I can barely cope with what I do now; what will happen if I become part of a team responsible for the safety of the world? How am I supposed to … supposed to keep myself afloat when I'm already drowning?" Her eyes were rimmed with red, an expression of utmost fear all over her face.

Madison took a step back, astonished by the answer. Her friend had always seemed relatively cool and collected. In control. There had been no hesitation for Astraea to put herself in harm's way to rescue others in the few times Madison had seen her in action. But this – this was an Astraea shattered and broken. Torn up by her own fears boiling inside her. Madison had expected this. Then again, Astraea had been having nightmares; Madison just wasn't aware of them until recently. Her heart softened, and she wrapped her arms around her shaking friend.

"It's okay, I've got you. You don't have to stay if you don't like it. I'm not forcing you into anything." She wiped tears from Astraea's face, letting the other girl sink into her. "It's okay to be scared. I'm scared too, of things that I don't say because I'm worried what people will think of me. But that's okay. You're allowed to be scared; I'd be worried if you weren't." Madison pointed out, earning a shaky laugh. "If they want you for this team, I'm sure you can make being able to leave a condition. They shouldn't be able to legally force you into staying and working for them.

"I'll come and stay with you, too. It's okay, " She murmured over Astraea's faint protests, "I'll be living in a super awesome tower with superheroes. What could be cooler than that? You know that come where you need me, just like I know you'd do for me. Like I know you do for me. We're best friends and that means staying together no matter what. Now get up and stop moping before this gets too soppy and I start bawling too."

Astraea nodded and clambered off the floor with Madison. Exchanging watery grins, they strode back into the conference room arm-in-arm.

 **oOo**

"I've come to a decision," Astraea announced, taking a deep breath and steadying herself for the next sentence. "However, I've got a few things I want to add. Assuming I decide to accept this proposal, I want to be able to leave whenever I want. If it gets too much, or I don't want to do it anymore, I want out. Second, I want – well, Madison wants 'cos this was her idea – for her to also be able to stay here, with me. From the size of the Tower, I'm guessing there's plenty of two-bedroom apartments we could use for the 'housing' clause of this agreement. Third, I want to continue with my degree – I'm not stopping it just for this."

Astraea held her breath, waiting for a response in the pregnant pause.

"I think those things are easy to arrange, Stark?" The Captain turned to face Tony, a small but genuine smile on his face. "Think you can find a big enough floor for them?"

"Shouldn't be too hard." He looked up at the gaping girls. "Billionaire here. You guys could have a whole floor if you want – complete with multiple bedrooms, a small library, kitchen, games room, etc."

"Whoop!" Madison shouted, grabbing Astraea's arms and dancing with her. The other teenager was laughing at her friend's antics. "I'm so moving in as soon as possible."

"So, you're accepting this opportunity?" Steve Rogers gave Astraea a piercing look. She nodded.

"Yeah … I am. With those points included. Especially the university bit." Astraea plopped the folder onto the table, fishing in her pocket for a pen. Bruce handed her one from his shirt pocket.

"You'll have to take online classes then," Natasha stated, blunt. "We can't have you disappearing for classes when we have to go on a mission. That much is very important. When we call for you, unless you are injured or previously engaged in something more important, you have to turn up, Astraea. Whenever."

"Uh … yeah, sure. I can do that." She looked back at Madison who nodded encouragingly.

"Great," Tony stated, fiddling with something on his StarkPhone. "Just sign and I'll have some SI people collect your stuff. We'll get it all packed up and sent over in a few hours. You kids just sit here. Get a tour, or whatever you kids do these days."

"Like, right now right now?" Astraea questioned, alarm creeping into her voice.

"Yes. I literally just said that, Nemy."

"Enough with the nickname. It's as bad as with Spider-Baby."

Regardless, Astraea clicked the pen on and signed her name, reading carefully through each page first. Another disclosure agreement was sent up for Madison, who signed promptly. The girls were going to stay together, no matter what the world threw at them. For now, that meant living in a skyscraper with superheroes, as Madison put it in a whisper to her best friend.

"So, we're packing up our lives and moving in with a bunch of people we don't know. I'm essentially freeloading, and you're going to go save the world with these strangers. As you do."

* * *

 **There you go - Astraea and Madison join the Avengers at last. Let's see how things go for them.**

 **As always, thank you to anyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, or followed this humble tale. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I love writing it!**

 **Feel free to send me any thoughts or guesses you have on chapters and future events.**

 **Until the next time.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	9. Dinner and Discoveries

**Well hello there, my fine readers. It's wonderful to see you back (or just for the first time) to read the next chapter in my humble story.**

 **As I warned last week, I do have twists in upcoming chapters. Maybe this one had a twist. Who knows? *winks***

 **I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.**

 **But I've got a little question - some parts of this tale are up for changes, and are there any things, in particular, you might want to see happen? Drop me a line and let me know if there are. Otherwise, sit down, relax, and enjoy the ride.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel.**

* * *

 **Dinner and Discoveries**

* * *

On the first Sunday, after Astraea and Madison moved into their new apartment, Pepper Potts came around to deliver a message and a belated welcome. The powerful CEO came up to the duo's floor and was shocked to see boxes still littering the open plan living-dining-kitchen space. She voiced this to the two girls after they noticed her presence.

"Uh … " Astraea started, giving the CEO an uncertain glance, "we were kinda worried about having to leave again and didn't want to re-pack everything. Those movers did a really good job of making everything neat … " She trailed off into silence.

"You needn't worry about that," Pepper reassured them, giving both teens a warm smile. "I'm here to welcome you officially to the team and invite you to a team dinner at 7:00 tonight."

"Oh … thanks. You … you didn't need to come down just to tell us. I mean, you're the CEO of Stark Industries. You could have just sent someone or asked JARVIS. I didn't think we were important enough for a personal welcome."

"Nonsense. I make it my business to personally greet all new staff members, or residents, of the Tower. The dinner was just convenient timing. I'd had such a busy week that today was the first time I could get down here to welcome you."

Astraea still remained uncertain.

Madison, however, leapt up to shake the CEO's hand, an enthusiastic smile lifting her entire face. "I have to say, this is an amazing honour, Ms Potts. You're one of my heroes."

"Thank you. And please, call me Pepper. You're a part of this family now, no matter how crazy it seems. If you have any issues with Tony, just come and tell me or have JARVIS notify me." An alarm buzzed, and Pepper glanced at her phone. "Right, I've got to be off now. The theme is roast dinners, so feel free to bring mains, sides, or desserts for tonight. It's a bit of a competition for the best one."

Astraea nodded, and the girls waved the older woman goodbye as she swept out the apartment, shoes clicking on the hardwood flooring.

Madison still had a loom of pure awe on her face. "That was awesome! The CEO came down to visit us. Amazing. I so want to be like Miss – Pepper – when I grow up." Her gaze turned dreamy.

"Mads, you're daydreaming again. We'd better get cooking now; it's already 5:00." Astraea scrambled to her feet, searching the fridge and cupboards for things she'd need. "JARVIS, is it possible to order a fillet of beef and some – " she rooted around in the salad drawer, "some flat cap mushrooms and Parma ham?"

"Indeed, Miss Blake. I shall have the order delivered as soon as possible. Is twenty minutes an adequate time interval?" The posh British tones of JARVIS came from the ceiling, much fancier than Astraea's own East Yorkshire accent.

"Sure. Thanks, J." She pulled a bag of flour from a drawer and rummaged around for bowls and scales.

"What did you need all that for? We have some beef in the freezer and a chicken for roasting." Madison wandered over beside her, glancing at the StarkPad Astraea was now searching on.

"For Beef Wellington. There was this awesome _Gordan Ramsey_ recipe Dad found a few years ago. I'm gonna try and make that for tonight. Just need to start making the pastry while all the over stuff arrives. Should be ready by seven, then."

"Sounds good. I'll fix roast potatoes then and my old boss' favourite lemon cheesecake." Madison joined Astraea in searching for ingredients. "Trying to impress the neighbours, right?"

"Of course. Being able to cook made us more popular on campus, maybe it'll make us more popular here. I wonder how many of them can actually cook?"

"Hmm … I bet Tony Stark has always had personal chefs and stuff – doesn't need to cook, maybe never really learned. Thor probably wouldn't be able to use Earth-tech so well, even he did have to cook being a prince and all. Black Widow – "

"You know you're allowed to call them by their first names now, right Mads?"

"Yeah, but it still feels weird. Plus, Black Widow sounds cooler. Anyways, she's a spy-assassin and so is Clint, I bet they can cook a little at least."

"Pepper? And Steve?"

"I'd guess they'd be able to do pretty well. But also, Doctor Banner. Didn't he stay in a bunch of different countries while he was on the run?"

"I guess. That's everyone, right?"

"Er … Falcon? From DC." Madison had flour all over her face, despite barely using the stuff. "Would he also be here?"

"Maybe. He seems kinda more normal than the majority of the team, too. Wait – what about War Machine?"

"Ahh … forget about Iron Patriot. Army man, right? Might be alright at cooking. We'll just have to wait and see."

"That we will."

 **oOo**

A few hours later, the duo headed to the common floor, each carrying a covered tray of food and dressed in semi-casual clothing. They weren't exactly sure of the dress code for the event, but given the money most of them probably possess, even casual wear would look posh on them.

As they entered the open plan space, Pepper directed them to place their dishes on the counter or in the fridge as needed. Madison despotised hers swiftly, eyeing the various bottles of alcohol also open on the counter.

"You know, seen as this is a private residence and all, are we allowed to have a drink?" Madison's bold question was directed at Pepper, who was holding a glass of red wine herself.

The CEO narrowed her eyes, giving them an appraising look. "How old are you, ladies?"

"I'm 19, but Madison is three months away from being 19," Astraea answered cautiously, casting Madison a questioning look. The other girl just shrugged.

"Hmm … One drink, " Pepper conceded, "seen as this is a very secure building and you might need one to get through dinner with the Avengers." She gave them a small smile, seeing the looks of worry on their faces. "Don't worry, it's not that bad. It'll be lovely to see some more ladies though. We sometimes have Jane and Darcy – that is, Doctor Jane Foster and Miss Darcy Lewis. You might have seen them on the news after Greenwich last year.

"Right then, I'll leave you, girls, to mingle. Tony still isn't here. Looks as though I'm dragging him from the workshop again. It's a good thing I've had practice managed him prior to the Avengers – not sure if I could handle him otherwise." Pepper pursed her lips, topped up her drink and swept from the common room into the elevator.

Madison grabbed the nearest bottle of wine, pouring a generous amount into an empty glass from one of the many cupboards. "This stuff looks so posh; you can practically see the money dripping from it. But hey, billionaire, right? Perks of."

"Sure. Reckon there's some whisky here? I love the smell." Astraea checked the bottles, hunting for the right stuff.

"Uh … there's some scotch. A bottle of bourbon too," Madison reported. "Scotch is Scottish Whisky, right?"

"Yup. At least, according to the internet." Madison passed over the bottle. "Thanks." Astraea opened the bottle and seized a small glass. She added roughly a shot, but her metabolism rate meant she could take slightly more than average before getting drunk. Not god-like levels, or super soldier, just a bit more than average. "Just need ice."

Drinks in hand, the pair moved further into the room, towards the adults making loud conversation. A few metres from the group and they stopped, giving each other uncertain glances. Everyone there was much older than them. Above the age group that the teens usually talked to, though not higher than anyone they had made small talk with before. Astraea and Madison did work in a café after all. No longer though. Astraea was making enough money to keep them both comfortable, and Madison was just-about promised a job at Stark Industries after finishing her Leadership and management degree. The proposal for Astraea was helping her best friend as much as it was helping her. It was an opportunity for Madison to get an amazing job at a young age; it would give her the opportunity to have all the nice things she wanted. Astraea was determined for Madison to have a good life – Madison's nightmares indicated her childhood hadn't been great. It was about time she had the chance to make many more great memories.

 **oOo**

After an initial 15 minutes of (awkward) socialisation, the Avengers, Pepper, Madison, and Astraea settled down at a heavily laden table. Dishes of roast beef, pork, and chicken all coated in various sauces were lined up down the middle. At every other interval bowls filled with roast potatoes, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower cheese, red cabbage and apple, and numerous others. Both Madison and Astraea were overwhelmed by the sheer volume and variety of food.

Astraea was seated in-between Madison and Tony; Natasha was next to Madison; Clint beside Natasha. On the other side sat Steve, Sam, Bruce, and a James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (opposite Tony). Pepper had allocated herself as head of the table, ready to keep an eye on the crazy family that was the Avengers.

For the most part, the conversation was carried by Tony, Pepper, and Clint. Natasha and Bruce tended to pitch in with witty remarks every so often but were otherwise quiet. The two other men ranged from being quietly talking to each other to involving everyone. Only Astraea and Madison seemed to barely talk at all. Pure nerves and a lack of understanding all the inside jokes made a quiet combination in a person. Even asking to pass dishes needed the words repeating 11 times mentally just to be sure they were saying the right thing. At least, that's how Astraea felt but Madison seemed to be adapting a little quicker to the general vibe of the conversation.

"So, I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, 'Boom! You looking for this?'" Rhodey is telling a story to Pepper and Tony who both give him blank looks.

Madison, however, bursts out laughing. "That's a good one!"

Rhodey looks over at Madison for a second before gesturing to her. "Thank you! At least somebody finds it funny. That girl is my new best friend." He stands up, leaning across the table to shake her hand. "James Rhodes, but everyone calls me Rhodey."

"Madison Lance. Nice to meet you."

"You know, she only finds it funny because she hasn't heard any good stories yet." Tony chimed in, raising a glass at Rhodey. "Just wait a few hours. War Machine stories won't be as funny then."

"Because you have much better ones?" Madison questions, raising an eyebrow at him. "I haven't heard any funny ones yet and you've been spouting plenty of them."

Astraea elbows her friend in the side. "You can't say that!" She murmurs in a hushed whisper. "It's his tower, and I don't want to have to go crawling back to uni explaining we need our old place back again despite leaving only a week ago."

"It's fine. I was being funny," Madison whispers back, an easy smile on her face. "Don't worry."

When they re-join the conversation, Tony is already halfway through a new Iron Man story, gesturing wildly. The others are chiming in with corrections. Then Bruce adds:

"Wasn't this a dream you told me in the lab when you were drunk? I swear I remember hearing this before." There's a little twinkle in Bruce's brown eyes. "You were trying to convince me to do drunk science with you, and explaining how it had worked in your dream with the suit. JARVIS? Is there an audio recording for this?"

"Indeed, Doctor Banner. There are both video and audio records of the event. Would you like me to play?" As always when JARVIS speaks, Astraea and Madison jump a little, still not completely used to the disembodied voice of the AI.

"Go on, then. Play the video." As Bruce finishes his sentence a hidden project produces the video against a plain wall opposite Pepper.

All eyes shift to the short clip of video footage. A very drunk-looking Tony Stark stumbles into a high-tech lab, where Bruce is busy working with a holographic screen. Giggles erupt as Tony promptly collapses onto Bruce, using him as a cuddy wall to lean on. With a clear eye-roll, Bruce deposits the genius on a squishy armchair, propping him up using an impressive stack of cushions.

 _"_ _Brucie-bear … bruceeeee … I have a … a fucking … funny story to tell you … " Tony slurs his words into an almost incomprehensible mass of drunken talking. "I had a dream that … there was a giant bloody duck … and a purple hawk … I had to use the suit and – " He tips forward, body swaying. "Woah … The lab is spinning, Brucie!"_

 _Bruce sighs, leaving his work to dump a bucket in front of a quietly giggling Tony. "Tell me when you aren't drunk."_

 _"_ _But … I wanna do science." Tony pouts, glancing up from his bent-over position. "I need to tell you … the rest of my story. About the duck. I had to make the suit smell like bread … yummy bread. Ducky followed me to the pond. And then … and then the hawk shot it … Good duck for us … hulk-sized duck for dinner … or for science." With that Tony finishes, flopping back in the chair and promptly going to sleep._

Present-day Tony takes advantage of everyone's lack of attention to pour all his vegetables onto Pepper's plate and calls for JARVIS to end the clip.

"Certainly, Sir. Would you be requiring any more videos tonight?" JARVIS sounds an awful lot like he's trying to hold back laughter to Astraea.

"No thanks, J. I need to update you not to play embarrassing clips."

 **oOo**

Despite the bundle of embarrassing stories (and videos), the evening remains pleasant and conversationally. By the end, Astraea and Madison both feel a lot more relaxed around the intimidating Avengers. Madison heads to bed early, followed by Clint and Natasha in the lift. Astraea mills around for another half-an-hour prepared to contribute to washing-up. But Pepper assures her they have enough space in the dishwashers, showing Astraea all three of the machines in the massive kitchen area.

Having been satisfied she didn't need to do any work, Astraea headed to the stairs to make her way down to her and Madison's apartment. The few flights down would give a little chance to burn off some of the food she ate earlier. Astraea had tried a little of everything, except for the cabbage and asparagus. She hated them.

As she approached the right floor, Astraea could hear the footfalls of three different people within the building. Focusing her hearing on them, she sat on the stairs, listening to see if she could surprise those in there. From the hushed conversation Astraea could hear easily, she gathered it was Madison, Clint, and Natasha talking in the apartment.

" – and the background check showed some interesting things. Well, more like it missed out about three years of your life. Nat and I did some digging with our own recourses. Want to know what we find?" Clint sounds slightly threatening to Astraea. It's strange because he'd been nice to Madison beforehand.

"You were a SHIELD agent, weren't you Madison? Or should we call you Agent Lance, or maybe Hermes? Which do you prefer?" Natasha's words are honey-sweet but belied by the razor edge underneath.

Astraea's mouth gapes open in shock. Her best friend worked a secret spy organisation?!

"I left a year ago for personal reasons. You have no reason to bring this up. Yes, I was an agent. Briefly. But all that is behind me now. I'm moving on and I have a life free of being Pandora." Madison's voice sounds strangely steely, in a way Astraea has never heard her friend before. "I'm asking you politely not to tell anyone. I'll tell Astraea when I feel comfortable with it, but not before. I don't want you ruining our friendship because of something I've long since left behind."

"You really think it's a coincidence that you ended up roommate to a known enhanced? Whether you believe it or not, Fury put you there for a reason. You must have suspected it – given your own talents. I hope for your sake that you weren't HYDRA. We haven't gone very far with our investigations yet, but if we get any hint that you are here as a spy." There's a heavy pause from Natasha. "Well, you'll understand first-hand why they call me Black Widow. Understand?"

Madison must nod because Astraea doesn't hear any response.

"Good."

There's a faint whoosh as the two agents leave in the lift. Astraea remains on the stairs. She doesn't know how much time passes; all she can think about is the fact that her best friend was a SHIELD agent, and that she herself was – maybe is – on a list of enhanced for S.H.I.E.L.D. And her best friend probably knew this. Madison worked for a spy organisation and never said anything. She even has a codename – 'Hermes', god of travel, thieves, and known as being 'jack of all trades, master of none'. What the hell can her best friend do?

Astraea stays there for another few minutes for heading to one of the gyms. She needs to work this all out of her system before she explodes.

Before she says or does something she might later regret.

* * *

 **Ohhhh ... so there you have it. Madison Lance was a SHIELD agent. The mystery thickens. Stay tuned for more next Friday.**

 **I hope you enjoyed that particular twist. Did anyone predict anything like this? Or was this completely different to what you were expecting?** **Well, I did warn that there will be a few twists coming up in future chapters.**

 **How will Astraea procced? And how would you feel, realising your best friend had been part of a secret spy organisation?**

 **As always, thank you to everyone who reads, favourites, follows, or reviews. It always warms me up.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	10. Truth will out

**Sup peeps, I'm back again with another chapter, just for you.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel. But, I do own this story which is now in double figures.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Truth will out**

* * *

It's been three weeks since Clint and Natasha had their little chat with Madison. Astraea has stepped up her training: sparring regularly with Clint, and Sam (whenever he's around), and on the rare occasion, Natasha. The Avengers invite her to training exercises with them, and Astraea readily accepts. She wants to keep as bust as possible and try to keep the new information about Madison out of her mind, but her eidetic memory prevents that. The words keep playing back to her as she tries to sleep. It's eating at her. Big time.

For now, though, she's planning on sparring against Steve at long last. The Super Soldier presents a different challenge to Astraea. She's more used to sparring against Clint and Natasha, who are much lighter than Steve and easier to take down the much heavier man. It's an opportunity to practice against larger opponents she'll probably come across on missions, as well as a chance to vent some of her pent-up emotions. Astraea doesn't really want to use someone as a human punch bag, but she figures she won't really be able to do any damage to Captain America of all people. They'll just have to wait and see.

When Astraea reaches the right floor, Steve is already there, alongside someone she hasn't seen before. She's just about to ask when the blonde-haired, muscular figure turns around and her mouth just gapes open instead. Astraea might not get sexually attracted to people, but damn, Thor is one hot person. Definitely a god. He spots Astraea and walks over, a welcoming look in his light eyes.

"You must be the Lady Astraea? I have heard much of your prowess and talents since I arrived last evening. I am Thor Odinson, and it is my pleasure to meet you." Thor offered a large hand and Astraea shook it somewhat hesitantly, having half-expected him to kiss her hand instead and bow.

"The … the pleasure's all mine, Mr Odinson." Astraea wasn't really sure what to call him. Just Thor seemed a little rude, given he hadn't stated what she _could_ call him. "Oh, and just Astraea is fine."

"Then you may call me, Thor." He gave her a warm smile. "I understand you are here to spar with the Captain."

"Uh … yeah. Just a bit of practice. I mean, I'm not going to win, but I might learn something." She nodded towards Steve, who was doing stretches on the sparring mat.

"That is wise. If I may, I shall stay and watch to learn more about your Midgardian fighting techniques."

"Sure." Astraea was uncertain what a literal god could learn from a pair of humans but who was she to get in the way of learning. "Maybe you can teach me some Asgard fighting styles afterwards?" She questioned, a half-smile forming on her lips.

"Perhaps. Though I am not sure how useful they shall be against foes of this world."

Astraea just shrugged and muttered her goodbyes, heading over to where Steve was, so she could warm up for her match. She was nowhere near likely to win, but she might as well give her all. Plus, she now had an audience watching. Granted, it was only one person, but that one person was the god of thunder. Not your average gym buddy.

After a ten-minute warm-up, both sparring partners were standing ready on the mat. Astraea was nibbling her bottom lip, both nervous and excited for the coming match. Nerv-cited. Steve, however, looked ready to go, already standing ready in a fighting stance. He was giving her a gentle smile, as though he could see the nerves bubbling through Astraea like a torrent of rain. She looked to one side to see Thor watching intently; he gave her a thumbs-up as soon as he noticed her glance. Astraea gave a cautious smile back.

"So, " Astraea bounced on her toes, bringing her arms up in front of her torso, "if we do a weapons round, do I get to pick my own weapon? And am I allowed to pick Thor to be my weapon?" She gave a cheeky grin, channelling her nerves (as usual) into jokes and banter.

Steve gave a small smile but shook his head. "I think Thor is just watching today. Maybe he'll be happy to do so next time? I thought we'd spar with weapons, anyways. Let's just try hand-to-hand before we add weapons into the mix. It's important that you can hold your own against a larger enemy without weapons."

Astraea nodded. Right. Captain America, always the strategist, thinking of how best to use people's abilities for the most efficient and least costly outcome. The past month in the Tower had given her a great deal more information on how these people worked, even if it was only a tiny bit. From this, Astraea had come to the conclusion, doubtless as others before her, that Steve was definitely a natural leader and possibly the only one who could keep such a bunch of diverse individuals under control on a mission. But also someone they would follow without question. After only four weeks interacting with the man, Astraea was already seeing why. She'd be happy to do so herself. Steve was someone you could easily respect and trust.

They took up positions, facing each other across the mat. JARVIS sounded a beep in a pre-arranged signal to start the match. Astraea leapt forwards, vaulting high in a move taught by Natasha. But Steve manages to duck under her flying body. He flips over to kick her. Astraea barely dodges, leaning backwards, and snapping out a few quick hits. Her blows seem little a distraction to the powerful super soldier. Steve moves in to attack. Astraea scrambles away, blocking blows with her arms. A large fist collides with her torso. She falls down, landing on her bottom. Waiting until Steve leans over to hit, Astraea slides under his legs. Popping up on the other side, she drives a low kick at his knees. Steve stumbles but doesn't fall. Astraea flips to the other end, trying to plan her next attack.

Two seconds later and Steve is barrelling towards her. Astraea launches herself up and over him. But he catches her leg and brings her down. She swings onto her back, leaning backwards to pull his weight against him. He tips backwards, but rolls, leaving Astraea underneath. She squirms and kicks hard with her legs trying to dislodge him. Both arms are held fast in one of Steve's hands. Unable to get free, Astraea concedes the fight.

She walks over to a bench, seizing her towel and wiping off her sweaty body. They had planned a few rounds, and the next was blindfolded. Astraea had insisted on that one; she wanted to hone her enhanced hearing for better use in the dark. Of the Avengers, only Tony would stand a chance in pitch-black conditions with the suit. But Astraea knew she could use her hearing to locate things based on the sounds bouncing off them. It was something blind people could do, copying dolphins that used the technique like sonar. Plus, she might be able to beat Steve when blindfolded. While the captain did have enhanced hearing, it wasn't to the same degree as Astraea's.

Astraea was disappointed she didn't hold up so well against Steve but Thor seemed to think otherwise. "That was most impressive sparring against the Captain, Lady Astraea. Even Lady Natasha, with all her training, can find it difficult to fight against Steven."

"Uh … thanks." Astraea was a little unsure what to say. "It wasn't really that good. Anyways, you can just call me Astraea. I'm not fancy enough to be called Lady. Madison says that … " She froze, still not comfortable with talking about her friend. If that's what they were. Ever since hearing the bit about how Madison might have been placed with Astraea specifically because the latter was enhanced made Astraea rethink every moment. Their friendship had felt real, and Astraea wants to believe it was. But she was starting to doubt everything and hadn't been able to broach the subject to Madison yet. They hadn't an awful lot of time together between Astraea's training and Madison going to university for most of the day. Astraea was often asleep early now; her training sessions were intense, but building up lot's more skills, and more muscle making her frame much leaner and stronger than ever before.

"Says what?" Thor inquired softly, clearly sensing a troubling subject.

"Ah … ha … nothing. Slip of the tongue." She busied herself with finding her blindfold. "Wish me luck for round two."

He gave her a large grin. "Good luck, La – Astraea. May the All-father bless you in this match."

"Thanks, Thor." Astraea smiled back, twitching her blindfold over her eyes and stepping back onto the mat.

Opposite her, Steve is also wearing a blindfold. Not that Astraea can see that of course. But Thor is watching and would probably call him out if he wasn't. JARVIS sounds the beep again, and they begin.

Astraea takes a cautionary step forward, listening to Steve's surprisingly quiet footfalls. He's moving around the edge of the mat, waiting for her to move forward. She cocks her head and remains still, waiting until his heartbeat is closer – close enough for her to strike.

Ten seconds pass and Astraea lashes out with a flurry of punches. They hit hard muscle. She takes a step back, but Steve sends out a kick. It knocks her further backwards. She flips backwards. Air-born movement is harder to detect than footsteps. Much harder. Steve is moving closer. Astraea circles around him, bobbing down to about knee-height. She isn't very practised in just sound fighting yet. Her leg spins round in a blow to the back of the knees. Steve tumbles forwards with a thud. Astraea steps forwards, kicking at about the right spot. But Steve feels the breeze from her movement and strikes. A fist closes around her ankle and Astraea can't move. He pulls her down but loosens the grip as he stands. Astraea crawls away and reclaims her feet. She stops, focusing everything on what she can hear. Steve's footsteps seem magnified, moving towards one corner of the mat. Astraea launches in that direction. Her body collides with another. They smack into the floor. Astraea puts her arm against Steve's throat. Steve moves beside her, clambering back up. Astraea sends a knee into his stomach, determined to win the fight. She presses her forearm down more, and Steve concedes.

Booming clapping echoes through the gym. Astraea pushes off the floor, removing her blindfold and offering a hand to Steve. He accepts, smiles, and removes his own blindfold. Thor is beaming.

"That was most interesting fighting! I believed you would be stumbling around without your vision but you two proved just as good without." Thor applauds them loudly for a few minutes more.

"Thanks, Thor," Steve says, before turning to Astraea. "You always seemed to know where I was. I could hear your footsteps, but not enough to find you as easily blindfolded. Good ears." He gave her a significant look.

Astraea nibbled her lip and shuffled her feet, uncomfortable. "Yeah … um … I can hear like in a 6-storey radius. Oh, and heartbeats – if you're close enough. But that's only within a few metres." She looks down. "Kinda a side effect, from some medicine my mum had for her illnesses and pregnant with me."

Steve gave her a thoughtful look. "I wonder if you were on SHIELD's list of known enhanced? Perhaps not, if you weren't born here. Still, they have connections all other the world. It seems a little strange that you ended up living not so far from the Avengers, given your abilities. I can't help but wonder if it was really chance, or if that medicine and your mother being pregnant was really an innocent coincidence. Did the people who gave it to her know she was pregnant?"

"Uh … yeah? I think Dad said she was about 4 months at the time – must've been enough to show a bump." She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"What if they wanted to test how this drug would affect children born after someone had it in their system? If the effects would be passed to the offspring? But, to avoid, suspicion, offer it as a miracle cure to the desperate people without long to live. A cure."

Astraea didn't like where Steve was going with this. "Are you suggesting that my mum ended up being part of an experiment to see if this drug could produce super-powered children? That … that can't be right. My parents would never … It can't be true. Why would they … " Then Astraea realised. "Oh. An army. They could collect the children and train them up from near birth."

Thor stepped forwards. "But why hasn't Astraea been taken then? Surely it is obvious that she is enhanced."

"Maybe not. Abilities like hers might be easier to hide. Enhanced learning and memory – not exactly as easy to track, could just be a clever child. Enhanced hearing, again subtler than something like being able to control fire. Enhanced strength – unless anything really strange occurred, I don't think they'd notice anything unusual," Steve mused, a light growing in his eyes. "No, I don't think they would have noticed unless they didn't want to take the children. Could have been for a different purpose. Testing on strangers, before testing on their own people. Seeing if it works better on naturally produced children over those born in a lab."

Astraea shuffles uncomfortably. "Unless it was SHIELD. Then they would have lots of people to put on their enhanced list. Or Hydra, behind SHIELD's back. They would need access to the list of known enhanced and would be able to add anyone it was successful on. This would mean SHIELD would track them anyways, and Hydra would have even more information to go on."

Silence follows her words.

"Well, we'll have to look into this when we've dealt with Loki's sceptre. Only the Sokovian base now, and we should have that mission prepared by next week." Steve finishes the earlier conversation, moving on swiftly. "I assume you'll want to come?"

Astraea nods. "I've been training a lot, but it's the real world where you find out if you're any good. I need to go."

"The more, the merrier." Thor claps her on the shoulder, and Astraea's knees shake. "I shall be honoured to fight beside you."

"Me too." Astraea nods to both men before grabbing her bag and leaving the gym.

Both men (super soldier and god, rather) watch her leave, conversing quietly. Seems like there's a lot more to the teenage vigilante than any of the Avengers anticipated when they recruited her.

 **oOo**

An hour later, and Astraea has showered and changed clothes, now relaxing in the large living room, reading _Lord of the Rings_. The door bangs open, and Madison walks in. Astraea looks up, startled to see her best friend home earlier.

"Uh … wasn't expecting you home so earlier," Astraea comments, gaze not reaching Madison's face.

"Class was cancelled." Madison's voice in unusual stilted, reading the thick tension in the room. "I think we need to talk about why you keep avoiding me."

"What?!" Astraea feigns outrage. "I'm not … I haven't been ignoring you."

"You have. Even now, you won't look me in the eye. There's something bothering you and I have a nagging feeling I know what. So, we're going to sit down and talk. Don't try to leave, or I'll ask JARVIS to lock us in here until you have this conversation with me. But first, you tell me why you're avoiding me. Now."

Astraea sighs and closes her book. "I … I heard that conversation you had – the one with Clint and Natasha. About you and … " Her hand closes into a fist. "Tell me, was it a coincidence that you ended up being my roommate? Or was something else at work? Maybe it was Hermes?"

Madison visibly flinched at the last word but moved to sit on the seat opposite Astraea. "I thought you'd heard that talk. The way you acted afterwards, and the way you kept avoiding my looks. You started going to the gym more and beating up a lot of punching bags, or so I hear. You couldn't just talk to me, Rhea? Would that have been so hard?"

"Don't patronise me!" She snapped, fire glowing in her brown eyes. "I was afraid that I maybe had a Hydra agent living with me after what Natasha said. But I couldn't believe that. Still, you might've mentioned that you worked for freaking SHIELD. An organisation that also tracks people like me. Someone an ex-agent, if that's what you are, ended up living with an enhanced. Seems a little strange, right? Don't you think so, _Agent_?" Astraea spat the name at her.

"Don't throw that at me like it's something to be ashamed of. So, I didn't tell you – big deal. I don't recall you telling me about your abilities."

"That was _different_!"

"How?"

"Because … " Astraea threw her hands up. "Because I stop petty criminals and the occasional gang. SHIELD operates in multiple countries and kills other people. They manipulate and they control and they turned out to have Hydra in them all along. I can't trust an organisation like that."

"The new one is clean. But I wanted out. So, I left." Madison stares her friend straight in the eyes. "I couldn't stay after what happened. Five of my team turned out to be Hydra. And they killed … " Tears prick in her eyes. "It was three against one. And they pushed him out." She breaks down a little.

"What … what happened? This is what happens in your nightmares, isn't it?" Anger made way for Astraea's concern for her best friend. "You can tell me. You know that." She wrapped her arms around her friend.

"We … we were returning from a mission. The message came through, from Captain America. In our STRIKE team, we had … had eight people … four in each helicopter. My brother was alone in one with three people who turned out to be Hydra. The comms weren't working and … and we couldn't hear anything. Next minute and my brother is falling. I'm shouting 'Lucas, Lucas, what happened?'. He … he doesn't hear me … and he didn't survive. Tana and I are left with the other Hydra members. The pilots were Hydra too. We managed to kill them all. Tana flew us back. SHIELD was … was burning and … " She looks up at Astraea, fierce fire burning through her gaze. "They tried to recruit us – right after they sent Lucas to his death. They were monsters, but they were my friends. We had to kill them. Had to survive."

Silence falls. The only sound is the girls' heavy breathing.

"What … what happened after that? How did you leave SHIELD?"

"We got a message from Fury – he needed a copter and noticed that we'd sent a message saying Tana and I had taken control. We flew him to the Triskelion and caught Sam when the helicarrier crashed into the building. I handed in my resignation after that. I couldn't … couldn't keep doing it after that … " Madison looks up, eyes rimmed with red, tears dripping down her cheeks.

 _She doesn't look like one of those 'sexy' women crying in a movie_ , Astraea thinks, _but it looks real: it's real pain and anguish and emotion shining through a runny nose and splotchy eyes. No one looks beautiful when crying, but they are beautiful_ _ **because**_ _they cry and the emotions they put into it._

"And that's why holding your hand wakes you up from your nightmare; you've got someone from falling," Astraea muses, rubbing circles on her friend's back.

"Yes. It's just … just something to anchor me … especially after I knew - after I properly _knew_ that you were doing all sorts of dangerous shit almost every night. I saw you fall and fall and fall – there was nothing I could do to save you." She sniffles and snuggles further into Astraea's embrace. "It haunts me every night. The day five out of eight in the team turned out to be Hydra. Alicia. Mariana. Thomas. James. Other James." Madison counts the names off on her fingers. "They were friendly and bubbly and nice. But then they all showed something that had been hidden. Traitors … to us, to SHIELD, to the whole fucking world."

"So, you left. A year ago, almost exactly by now. You left Agent Lance, and 'Hermes' behind."

"Yeah … Hermes. I was the jack of all trades, master of none. That's what my codename came from. When I first joined at 15, straight out of the science academy SHIELD had, I was a computer technician. Then I was a communications specialist. I moved to PR. I was a lab technician. I joined a STRIKE team at 18. Lucas only joined that one because he wanted to protect me. If I could have just … just decided on something non-field maybe – "

"Hey!" Astraea cuts her off, pushing Madison upright and looking her in the eye. "Don't go down there. There was nothing you could do. End of story. It was not your fault. Yes? Not. Your. Fault. Okay? It was never your fault."

"How can you say that? If I hadn't been on STRIKE, Lucas wouldn't have joined … and then he wouldn't have been there. He wouldn't have been … been pushed out …." Dry sobs wrack her body again.

"No." Astraea shakes her head, firm. "No. It was not you. Those people decided to join Hydra – it was they who killed your brother. They chose to push their friend – not you. You weren't at fault." Madison nods vaguely and Astraea decides to move the subject on. "So, how'd you end up rooming with me?"

"Oh, well Fury made the arrangements with the Uni, to get me in sharing with someone who he trusted with one of his agents. I didn't know who you were. I mean, I had seen your name on the list of enhanced before, but I never connected the two together until I saw you in action. And all the little injuries you had, the way you never seemed to get ill – even with a bug going around campus – and how you always seemed to pick new skills up easily. I remembered your name because I thought it was curious – how your mum just happened to pregnant when she got given the drug."

"Well," Astraea swallowed heavily, voice choking with emotion, "I'm glad he chose you to go with me. For what it's worth. I'm glad you're my best friend. Love you, Mads."

"Love you, too, Rhea." She leaned against the cushions, looking at Astraea through her eyelashes. "You don't think it's weird though, that SHIELD had that information, but also the fact itself."

"Uh … We did talk about it – Thor, Steve, and I – during training a little. They thought it could have been Hydra but I'm not really certain that it – "

"Wait?! You meet Thor! Damn, you could've mentioned it. I want to meet a god, too." Madison pouted and Astraea laughed.

"I'm sure you will. He does only live a few floors above us."

"Right. Yeah. Um … on with the bit you said about Hydra."

"Uh, right. Steve thought they might have been intentionally testing it on those who were pregnant – to see if the effects passed to the offspring. I suggested Hydra because it was inside SHIELD and they had a list of enhanced people, by the sound of it. I think Thor and Cap think it _was_ Hydra. But I can't believe that … surely my parents wouldn't do something like that – if they knew."

"People do dangerous things when they're desperate, Rhea," Madison added, softly.

"I know. I just wish I had all the answers."

"Sometimes knowing everything makes it worse. You could find something out that you'd rather had been kept hidden all along."

"Truth will out," Astraea stated, confident. She would find the answers to the secrets of her enhancements and hopefully bash a few Hydra heads along the way – for Madison and all the others who had to suffer at their heads. Astraea was ready to serve out some revenge. Her codename wasn't Nemesis for nothing.

* * *

 **Well there we go, some revaltions about Madison's past and some questions about Astraea's past.**

 **Next week, we get to go to Sokovia.**

 **Hope you've enjoyed.**

 **How did you find Madison's past? Antything you expected, or not?**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	11. Mission, where?

**Hey there, welcome back to the next chapter. I do apologise for the lastness but I've had some issues submitting chapters to doc manager since Friday. Luckily, it's working now.**

 **It's mission time and the first official one for Astraea. Let's see how it goes.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel or anything but original plot and characters.**

* * *

 **Mission, where?**

* * *

The next week came, and preparations had been completed for the mission to the Sokovian base. The Avengers' were searching for Loki's sceptre, which hadn't been taken back to Asgard (for some reason) when Loki was taken back there. Apparently, Loki was dead (again!) though.

Two days before they were to set out, Tony called Astraea down to his lab. Puzzled, Astraea turned up to see a shining new Nemesis suit waiting for her. Tony has gone all out with it. The actual suit based a little on Natasha's catsuit, but is in two, separate pieces and more armoured than the Widow suit. It's still black with a matching face mask, but the scale motif on the back has been exchanged for a badge on one arm; the Avengers' logo is on the other. Electric batons hang on either side, along with many pockets for knives. There's a comms unit for her ear and several handy items (string, lock-picking set, small first aid kit, extra ammunition) on her belt. Strong black boots, reaching to mid-calf, complete the outfit: laces up the front, and holsters for knives on the sides. Two handguns can be found on her waist.

For a moment Astraea just stares at it. She'll be better armed and better protected than ever before. It's a suit worthy of a superhero, but Astraea doesn't feel that super.

"You made this for me?" She questions, reaching out a hand to touch it but thinking better of it. "I can't … it's so … wow."

"You have to be well protected if you're going to fight with us." Tony just shrugs and smirks, half-modest. "That other one … well, okay-ish, for an amateur. No good for a real fight though. Luckily, there's a genius on this team."

"Well," Astraea starts to recover her wits, "you'll have to thank Bruce for me." She smiles softly. "It's incredible. Thank you so much."

 **oOo**

Two days later, and Astraea is hugging a worried Madison goodbye. The rest of the team is already suited up – excluding Bruce, who shouldn't really turn green right before flying in a Quinjet.

"Stay safe, Rhea. Don't get shot and … and don't break yourself." Madison wraps her arms around Astraea's shoulders once last time, standing up on her tiptoes.

"I won't," Astraea promises, hoping it'll be true.

 **oOo**

In the 10 or so hours it takes to fly over, Steve explains the plan of attack. They'll be touching down in a woody area, a couple of miles away from the base. It sits close to the capital city of Sokovia, so there's a risk the citizens will be fired upon. The people already hate Iron Man after the fiasco with stolen weapons, and they don't need a reason to hate the Avengers also. Fortunately, Tony has the Iron Legion' – a group of about five suits that can protect the people if it comes to that. Astraea hopes that it won't, but you never know.

Sokovia isn't somewhere Astraea's ever even heard of before, let alone actually been to. It's equal parts exciting and terrifying. But the most part she's left wondering: where the hell even is Sokovia? Unfortunately, it's not even the end of her problems. No matter where this place is in the world, she has a mission to complete.

It's Astraea's first time on a proper mission, and she's honestly scared shitless. For the most part, she'll be working more with Widow, Cap, and Hawkeye, while Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor handle most of the anticipated vehicles. Clint promised to keep an eye out for her, and Natasha told her that getting injured in the field will be some good experience for not to be so foolish in the future.

Astraea's not sure how to answer that.

 **oOo**

As soon as they've landed, Steve runs them through the plan once more before sending them into the snow-covered woods. Tony sets off, flying towards the base; Thor heads off in a similar way. Steve is riding one of the special, on-board motorbikes. Bruce transforms into the Hulk and lumbers into the woods. The rest of them set off on foot, looking to commandeer vehicles if they need them.

Nemesis, Black Widow, and Hawkeye storm through the woods taking out shocked soldiers as they go. They're no match for the three of them, despite the much higher number of enemies.

"I'm going for that car," Hawkeye mutters, gesturing to a grey, armoured vehicle to the north-west of us. Natasha nods and indicates she'll drive.

Clint creeps to a spot with better coverage, firing precision arrows with ease at the soldiers. Blue energy blasts shoot through the trees. Astraea rolls beneath one that nearly hits her head and lashes out at the man who fired it. He goes down like a rock. Natasha makes her move, shooting the driver and clambering into the driving seat.

"Come on, slowpokes," she cries. Nemesis and Hawkeye leap into the car, with Clint standing on a special pedestal on the back.

Natasha hits the gas, and they go crashing through the trees. Another vehicle comes alongside them, shooting at the trio. Clint is shooting arrows in all directions. Nemesis pulls out her handguns, shooting at the soldiers driving beside them. She feels guilty about every hit she makes but pushes it aside. They're in a battle, and Astraea has to focus on winning and working with her teammates. She needs to prove her worth in battle, as well as survive. It's all she can do.

The Avengers (plus Nemesis) all reach the same point together and leap as one. Cap on his bike; Tony and Thor flying; and Hulk, Astraea, Natasha and Clint leaping through the air. It'd make an epic photo, Astraea thinks, absently.

"Shit." Tony's surprised voice comes after the comms, followed by:

"Language!" Steve shouts it without any hesitation. Astraea can see him whizzing by on his bike, throwing that shield of his that doesn't seem to obey the laws of physics. At all. "JARVIS," he continues, "what's the view from upstairs?"

"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken." JARVIS' cool tone relays the information to everyone.

"Loki's sceptre must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defence without it. At long last." Thor's deep voice seems rather pleased to Astraea's ears.

Astraea dives into a small ditch, avoiding energy blasts with Natasha. The Widow launches herself at the soldiers, wrapping her legs around one's neck, and using her weight to pull two down. Nemesis whacks one with her baton, hard enough to knock him out, and kicks at another to break the woman's leg.

"At long last is lasting a little long, boys," Natasha quips, pushing herself up from her crouched position.

Clint agrees with her. "Yeah. I think we lost the element of surprise." He ducks under some blasts, hiding behind various trees to take pot-shots at the enemies.

"Element of surprise doesn't matter if we can't find a way into the base," Astraea adds, dodging blows, and chucking knives.

"Wait a second." Tony's incredulous voice echoes loud in Astraea's ears. "Is no one going to deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?"

"I know," Steve says heavily. He directs his bike straight at soldiers driving a truck him. Then, to Nemesis' utter amazement, flips the bike right over his head, sinking it through the metal of the truck. "It just slipped out."

 **oOo**

Astraea is running around, taking out soldiers, with Clint nearby. Natasha was somewhere close, too, but the others were spread out through the forest. The comms unit in her ear crackles with almost constant chatter – Tony is closing in on the base, and Steve insisting they need to get into the base.

Dodging under one blue-ish shot of energy, Astraea dances through the trees, throwing her batons the soldiers chasing her. She has to roll between the legs of another soldier to retrieve her electric baton, and flips over his head, wrapping her legs around his neck and choking him. The man collapses and she springs free. Astraea is about to turn the corner when Clint grabs her arm. He gestures to a bunker Astraea nearly waltzed in front of. She pales and murmurs a quick 'thank you'.

Clint, on the other hand, has drawn an arrow, aiming at the base. Astraea's sure it must be one of those explosive arrows; Clint has a vast collection of various types. Even a pizza arrow, though she's not sure how useful that is. He makes the shot but a silvery blur stops it. Clint hides back behind the tree, and Astraea raises her eyebrows in question at him. Clint goes to take the shot again, but the same thing happens.

The next time, he steps out completely. The same silver blur knocks into Clint this time, flipping him onto the ground. Astraea runs over to help him up. A young man is standing there, about her own age, with a mop of white hair.

"You didn't see that coming?" He asks in a strangely accented voice before speeding off again.

Clint stands up, aiming his bow at the speedster. But as he lowers it, a gun pops up from the nearby bunker. Astraea's ears twitch as she hears the gun step up.

"Clint!" She calls out, arms reaching out to pull him down. But Astraea's not quite fast enough, and the blast skims Clint's side, nearly catching Astraea's leg as she hit's the deck. "Damn it."

Clint moans on the ground, and Natasha flips around, dodging shots and ducking down at Clint's side. "Clint's hit." She pulls off her glove, pressing it to Clint's side. Astraea produces a small roll of gauze and hands it over. Natasha looks up at her and nods. Behind them, the bunker is still active. "Somebody want to deal with that bunker." She calls out.

The Hulk roars his defiance at the bunker and smashes straight through it.

"Thank you." Natasha's voice goes a little sing-song.

There's a load of chatter coming through Astraea's earpiece: Steve and Thor talking about the enhanced, Clint complaining about the hit, and Tony making quips at Steve's 'language' comment. Natasha calls for evac, and Thor turns up a few minutes later. As Clint gets taken away by Thor (with the former calling Thor his 'knight in shining armour'), Natasha announces the all-clear in their area.

Steve's reply sounds a little metallic over the comms. "Then get to Banner, time for a lullaby."

"A what?" Astraea questions, raising eyebrows at Natasha.

"It's a just thing we worked out: calms the Hulk into Bruce." Her gaze softens slightly. "Think the big guy likes me."

Astraea's not really entirely sure what to say to that. "Uh, so I should … ?"

Natasha's rolls her eyes. "Come on, Super-Ears, see if you can pinpoint Banner."

The two of them set off, running further into the woods, following Astraea's hearing. Bruce isn't that hard to find, considering the noise his 'smash' fighting makes and his heavy footprints. Astraea can't decide if Natasha is testing her ability or just using her recourse fully. It stops the Black Widow from having to search longer to find the surprisingly elusive Hulk.

"Um, I don't want to sound insensitive or anything … " Astraea falters under the weight of the Widow's gaze, "but, uh, don't you have a tracker or anything on him? So, you can find him again, after a battle, I mean." Her voice trails off into silence.

"You wanna go near the Hulk with a big-ass needle?" Astraea shakes her head at Natasha's words. "I didn't think so. Plus, the tracker would probably also be present in Bruce. The government could hack it and track him. I don't trust the government with that kind of information, nor do I want Bruce to have to deal with people being able to always find him. Sometimes you just need to get away."

They lapse back into silence and find Bruce as the Hulk a few moments later. He was just milling around, seemingly with no real cause. Natasha gestures for Astraea to keep back, but steps forwards slowly herself.

"Hey, big guy. The sun's getting real low." Natasha's voice is low and soothing but laced with something more. She kneels before him, placing an ungloved hand into his. The Hulk scowls initially but soon softens his gaze and begins to transform back into Bruce, stumbling away as he does so. Natasha watches him go.

 _Like someone becoming a baby again_ , Astraea's thoughts are tumbling around at the weirdness of it all. _I've never seen anything so odd or so fascinating. How on earth does all of that green fit inside an average sized man? And how do those trousers still manage to fit a guy at least ten times bigger than Bruce?_

 **oOo**

Once back on the jet, the Avengers tidy up and sit around having small conversations. Natasha is trying to reassure Bruce about the Hulk. From the way she tells it, anyone would, and should, believe that the Hulk – that _Bruce_ is a hero. But Bruce still doesn't look very convinced.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?" Natasha turns to Thor, who is quietly conversing with Steve opposite the other two. Astraea hovers someone in between, unsure of how to act.

"The gates of hell are filled with the screams of his victims." Thor smiles slightly, as though he is approving of his fellow warrior's actions. Astraea cringes internally – while Thor may mean well, Bruce is taking it that way, given his groan.

Natasha's glare might just be the most dangerous thing in the room because Thor tries to backtrack quickly.

"Uh, but, not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no, uh...wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and, and uh... and gout."

Astraea facepalms, literally. That had to be one of the worst attempts at backtracking, but Bruce is smiling a little at the attempt. Steve was just looking up at the ceiling, amusement all over his faces.

The conversations resume again, but Astraea can't focus on them. She's thinking about Clint, injured because she wasn't quite fast enough to stop him from getting hit. She was right there! And Astraea still couldn't manage it. Sure, it's not the worst thing she's seen happen, but this is a teammate, not some random gang member who's made far too many wrong choices. This is someone she actually cares about, even if they've only interacted a few times and the first time was after being kidnapped. There's a sort of, almost, fatherly relationship there. Clint is a man, probably in his forties, so Astraea is young enough to be his daughter. He was keeping an eye on her in the battle, but she still wasn't quick enough to help him.

Astraea sits down, barely listening to the others making party plans. There's a shuffling sound as Natasha sits beside her.

"Hey there, Super-Ears. You're looking a little glum. I'm not really the best person for comfort and shit like that, so I'll be straight with you. You're all upset about Clint getting shot when you were stood so close, weren't you?" Astraea nods slightly, eyes on the floor. "That's happened to me more times than I care to remember. He's a lovable idiot who risks himself to give second chances and to protect. I know all about how that guy's brain works. Don't worry about Feathers, he's survived plenty worse than this before. Don't sweat it, okay?"

Astraea's brain must be feeling a little sluggish because she can only mumble a quick 'yes'. But there's something that sticks out in Natasha's words. 'Risks himself to give second chances.' She gets the feeling that Natasha wasn't just talking in general; she meant herself. Looks like there's more to Black Widow than most of the world know, even after the data dump last year. She wouldn't put it past JARVIS being able to pull sensitive files before the world could get their hands on the information. Keeping safe the secrets of the Avengers. Maybe.

* * *

 **Well, there you go. Successful mission.**

 **I placed Astraea with Natasha and Clint for a few reasons. Mainly that they're likely the most experienced with having trainee 'agents' out on the field with them. Plus, they (Natasha especially) have the most similar fighting styles. They're hand-to-hand ground fighters. I know this is also kinda Cap's area, but I don't feel Astraea would suit Steve, what with the motorbike bit.**

 **With regards to the time for the flyover, I reasoned it wouldn't take the Quinjet as long as a commercial plane to fly to Sokovia. Of course, Sokovia doesn't exist, so I just shorted the time it takes a commercial aeroplane to get to countries about the region of Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.**

 **But, I hope you've enjoyed this. Please let me know your thoughts.**

 **Again, I'm sorry that an error with doc manager prevented me from uploading this early. Thankfully, it's been resovled so we're all good now.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	12. Let's Party!

**Hey there, you awesome people. As you've probably noticed, this is Monday, not Friday. Given that the ;last chapter had to be uploaded late due to errors with the Doc Manager, T opted to upload this the following Monday to maintain weekly updates.**

 **Anyways, let's not bother with all of that. It's time to get on with a good ol' party that Y'all invited to.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel.**

 **Please, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Let's Party!**

* * *

Two days later, and Stark has announced that Astraea needs to be there for the party he's holding the following night. It's to celebrate the victory the Avengers' just had, and they may as well use it to introduce their new member. _Yippee._

Suffice to say, Astraea is less than enthusiastic. She can handle a bust club, where nobody really cares who are as long as you don't disrupt the night. She doesn't, however, do fancy parties with lots of rich folks dressed in fancy clothes, talking in silly accents about the latest posh thing that they've done. But it's a good bit of PR for the team, and Astraea will need to be introduced at some point anyway. At least this isn't an interview or anything. She just has to get through a night of polite small talk, look pretty, and try not to offend anyone.

Piece of cake. Right?

 **oOo**

In about 30 seconds flat Madison destroys Astraea's plan to just wear some smart trousers and a neat blouse.

"This is gonna be one of those fancy-ass Stark parties that the news goes on about," She half-shouts at Astraea, chastising her with a shake of the head. "You've got look nice and fancy too. You deserve something nice and pretty."

Astraea bits her lip, uncertain. "I'm not sure … I mean, I don't really want to spend that kind of money on a dress I'll wear once. What's the point?"

"Rhea!" Madison throws her arms up in frustration. "You're an Avenger now and you're getting made mega-bucks. Like, seriously, didn't you see that number of the forms right before we moved on?" Astraea nods slowly. "Exactly! You can afford to buy a fancy dress or whatever, even if it's once. Damn, you could buy a whole designer wardrobe and not have to worry about anything. Just," Madison sinks into the cushions beside Astraea. "don't keep yourself from getting nice things because you think you don't deserve them."

"What?!" Astraea bounced to her feet, spinning to look at her friend with brown eyes gone wide. "Why … why would you think that? That's not why I don't get posh clothes. I just – I like _my_ clothes, the ones I have. I don't need anything else."

"You forget, I was a SHIELD agent. I know how to read you like a book, Idiot. Maybe something happened in the past and you didn't have a lot of money; or you feel like you have way more than you need, so you wouldn't spend it. Either way, something's going on. I'm open all ears."

"I'm not … I'm not going to have a conversation like this. It's stupid, and idiotic, and daft, and … " Astraea flicks her gaze back to Madison's face which twitches in amusement, "What?!"

"Nothing. Carry on. Y'know, convincing me _utterly_ that there's no problem here. I believe you so, so much. Keep going, by all means." Madison waves a lazy hand for Astraea to carry on her apparently amusing _performance_.

Astraea sends a frosty glare at Madison, folding her arms tight. Her face hardens, and she purses her lips.

"Oh, come on! It was kinda funny, you gotta admit that." Madison rolls her eyes at the other girl. "It's not like I was being serious or anything. Just – you don't have to not buy nice things because you don't think you deserve them. You do, Rhea."

Stony silence meets her words.

"Fine! We're going shopping, Rhea. Right now." She takes Astraea's arm, dragging her towards the door and taking both their bags. "By the way, you're paying. I'm not a superhero earning megabucks."

 **oOo**

After at least three hours of being carted around various malls, departments stores, and high street shops, Astraea had finally found something she'd actually want to wear. It's a simple fit-and-flare dress that just tickles the tops of her knees; deep plum in colour and decorated with tiny silvery 'jewels' that sparkled like stars. There were silver heels, jewellery, and a silver clutch to match. Madison had also picked out a fancy outfit, opting for a lacy, emerald green dress that hugged her curves and showed off her tanned legs.

Overall, Astraea figured she'd spent at least three months rent at their old apartment worth on clothing for the two of them, potentially just for one night. But it was going to be a fancy party, and the dress was really beautiful. Having the money to spare helped too.

It was funny, really, because Astraea hadn't exactly come from a poor background. Her family weren't uber-wealthy, but they had plenty to live comfortably. It was only after her mum died that things started to fall apart and her dad couldn't concentrate on his work so much. Her older siblings left and moved on. Astraea went to university at 15, taking her first degree only two years later. Her enhanced brain could work through everything much quicker, and she'd obtained a second degree a few months after her 18th birthday. Astraea's dad had helped fund it, and Astraea had always been stunned by the amount of money spent. It was way more than she ever thought she's deserved. From that point, she'd made it her goal to make it through a degree being as thrifty as possible.

But now? Now she had a steady income of way more money that she could ever have dreamed about. Astraea didn't have to worry about rent, and the common floor kitchen was always stocked, regardless of every apartment having its own kitchen. She could spend virtually as much as she wanted, and more. It was frightening. But, it was also easy to see why people spent so much on ridiculously expensive things – they could afford it, so why not? Why not spend a little more of something extraordinary?

The lure of spending, spending, spending was definitely there. Astraea didn't want to do that, though. She wanted to save it to have the best of experiences in life, and to help others in a worse situation. True, money wouldn't solve a lot of problems but it was part of the solution. Once she only had time to help others with, now she both time _and_ money. Not forgetting her new status as an Avenger. Another way to help people, even if most of it was gruelling missions destroying everything they could that could harm the world. It saved others from having to go through worse, so Astraea welcomed it. It also kept Madison out of the fight and safety heading for a new future, away from all the hatred and destruction.

That wasn't to say Astraea was above the odd impulse purchase. A replica sword of _Sting_ from _Lord of the rings_ and _The Hobbit_ was now sitting proudly on her wall. It's the little things.

 **oOo**

At exactly 8:00 p.m. the doors opened and the streams of invitees headed towards the party of floor of Avengers Tower. Astraea had to stand and greet a bunch of rich, famous, and important people who had absolutely no idea who she was. A random teenage standing around with the Avengers for seemingly no reason. Even only ten minutes into the party Astraea could hear whispers around the room: _maybe she was Stark's daughter, it seemed believable given his old reputation; maybe she was an assassin; maybe she was sleeping with one of the Avengers, etc…_ Astraea laughed at most of them but scowled at whoever she heard muttering the last one. People just had to make everything disgusting and about sex.

On the bright side, it gave her plenty of good things to text Madison in the breaks of people entering the party floor. Astraea knew Madison was somewhere in the room (well, floor), possibly chatting to celebrities.

 _She might have done this before, as a SHIELD agent_ , Astraea realised. _Speaking to the rich and famous as though you're on their level._

 **oOo**

After another half-an-hour, Astraea was finally free to go and find a nice quiet corner. At least, that's what Astraea was _trying_ to do. Tony seized her arm, dragging her to meet a few of the journalists present. She tries to struggle away, disappearing into the crowd a few times, but Tony seemed exceptionally good at finding people at parties. Promising this to be the last time, he escorted her to meet a young female reporter, Vanessa Hodge. After a quick hello, Tony scooted off, leaving Astraea and Vanessa alone.

"I swear, " Astraea started, running one hand through her wavy black hair, "if you start this off with 'Are you Tony Stark's daughter?' or 'Are in a relationship with one of the Avengers?' I will literally scream or something. The last eight reporters have all asked _both_ of those questions and I am so bloody tired of talking to people who I really want to tell them to twat off." Taking a deep breath, Astraea gave Vanessa a smile. "Anyways, hi."

"Hi." Vanessa smiled back, white teeth smiling out of a dark face surrounded by a mane of rich, curly, golden-brown hair. Astraea was struck by her smiling gold eyes. "Nice to meet you. I, uh, won't ask those questions. Although," she tilted her head, "why would anyone think that?"

"I know right. Everything has to be creepy or sexual with all these people. To keep explanations short, I was a vigilante, I got recruited, and now I'm an Avenger."

"Right. But I need more than that. Details, information, and gossip. Whatever, but let's sit in a quiet corner first, huh?"

Astraea nods her assent, leading the way to a hidden table she spotted earlier. It's perfectly placed for a good view of the room but hidden behind decorative plants. There's almost nobody else nearby and it's one of the quietest spots in the room, which isn't saying that much.

"So, where to begin. A new Avenger, appearing without warning or any previous signs of the Avengers' looking to recruit other powered individuals to their group. Tell me, Miss Blake, how did this happen?" Vanessa puts her elbows on the table, leaning forward with a pen poised to take notes.

"Uh …" Astraea stumbles for words, vaguely remembering that she ought to be careful what she says. She can't say anything sensitive, but then again, the media already know her civilian and superhero names. There's nothing to hide behind unless Astraea manages to build-up a public persona to keep herself and her loved ones safe. "I think it was mainly to keep me out of trouble. I mean, I ain't saying I was doing anything wrong, but I was a vigilante. Not exactly keeping with the law. But I've got, um, abilities that I want to use to help. I got an offer, so I, er, agreed. I joined up, trained, went on a few missions, and became an official Avenger."

 _Well, not strictly true. I didn't mention the kidnapping to you because I don't think that's exactly the kind of PR the Avengers really need. Or my enhancements. Or that part of the role as vigilante involved killing some people and putting others in hospital whilst defending the victims. There's a lot I won't say ever, Miss Reporter._

"Wonderful." Vanessa adds a few more things to her paper. "What's it like, living with superheroes? How do you get along? Are there any tensions between members of the team?"

"Interesting. There's nothing like waking up at two in the morning to make hot chocolate in the main kitchen to find that a god has had the same idea. I think I'm okay with everyone. Sure, the science bros tend to disappear for a few days at a time on their latest project, and the assassin duo seems to know an awful lot about everything I've done, but it's great, mostly. Team dinners are always funny, and I love watching To – Stark getting his ass kicked at paintball."

"But what about any problems between team members? Aren't there some members who don't always get along?" Vanessa kept pressing with one idea, pushing the questions at Astraea with a force she could almost feel.

Astraea narrowed her eyes slightly, leaning back in her chair. "Nobody gets on with everyone, all the time. It's a chemical mixture of people this time, and sometimes something goes a _little_ haywire, but I wouldn't say anyone wants to fight the others." She tried for a smile. "Everyone seems fine. There are no problems I can see." Astraea pursed her lips, ending that part of the conversation.

Her words were vaguely true, but not always. Tony and Steve did seem to be at odds occasionally, but that was understandable given historical ties between Steve, Tony, and Tony's father Howard. But Vanessa's words gave her a nagging feeling that this reporter knew more than she let on. She was very persistent and seemed fixated on the idea of trouble between the Avengers. Perhaps she had some sort of personal grudge, or maybe just quota of articles to write per week. It could be entirely innocent, but Astraea wasn't so sure.

" – about missions you've been on? Certainly, this latest mission seems to have been successful given this event." Vanessa is halfway through the next set of questions by the time Astraea drags herself away from her thoughts.

"Sorry, what was the question? I kinda zoned out a little."

"I said, is there anything you can tell us about missions you've been on?"

"Not really. I mean, other than what the world already knows, I guess. And I've only actually been on one mission so … Yeah, I've not really got a lot to say about that. Anything else?" Astraea gives a polite smile, half-turning to leave her seat. She should never have agreed to sit down and talk; Astraea has been here at least twice as long as any other chat.

"Yes, actually. What about allegations that you're a HYDRA agent, specially designed to infiltrate the Avengers and bring them down from the inside?"

"What?!" Astraea exclaims, eyes widening. "Where on earth did that come from? Nobody even knew I was an Avenger until tonight. Unless you've got a mole here or something." She gives the young woman a significant look.

"It's been a theory I've heard tonight. People are concerned after the recent discovery of HYDRA inside SHIELD. Suddenly a new Avenger pops up with no explanation. They need answers, Miss Blake, and I'm going to provide them."

"Right. I bet you're a new reporter, maybe daughter of the head of your newspaper. You got placed with this party and you want to prove that you're more than just the CEO's daughter." The increase in Vanessa's heartbeat tells Astraea she's correct. "I'm not HYDRA, Miss Hodge. I'm just a vigilante teen that got spotted and taken under the Avengers' wing. I'm here to help people, not listen to the stupid rumours everyone is putting around. In fact," Astraea tilted her head, focusing her hearing on others in the room, "at least seven people have just said they think I'm Tony's daughter to their little group of friends. I'm just a teenager with some, er, special talents. That's all."

Vanessa shifts in her seat. "Well, I think I have enough to introduce the world to Nemesis, the Avenger. Thank you for your time, Miss Blake."

Astraea stands and shakes the other's hand. "You too, Miss Hodge. Nice chatting with you. Perhaps we'll see each other again."

"Is that an invitation?"

"Just a statement. But, uh, I guess you know where to find me." Astraea gestured to the tower around them.

Vanessa laughed softly. "I do. Be seeing you." She gathered up her notepad and swept away, bright red dress marking her out among the darker colours of some of the rich and famous around her.

Astraea sat back, satisfied that she might have got Vanessa Hodge to like her enough that she'll come back. Then she can investigate her properly and find out just why she needed to know so much after potential problems with the team.

 **oOo**

The next few hours pass in a blur. Astraea sees Rhodey telling his tank story to a group of young women who laugh hysterically; Thor and Steve drinking with some veterans; Natasha and Bruce seem to be flirting at on the bars, and Sam playing pool with a couple of young men and Madison. Astraea moves to join them, nudging Madison as she steps up to the table.

"Good luck. Madison is one of the best pool players I've ever seen." Astraea flashes a grin in her friend's direction.

"Ah, but have you seen Cap play?" Sam counters, holding his cue point upwards. "Now that's some brilliant pool playing."

"Yeah, but for, like, regular people. Mads is awesome. Good luck."

Madison makes her shot, neatly putting the striped yellow ball. "I'm not that good. Besides, you're about the same as me."

"Learnt it all from you, my tutor."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Madison deadpans. "Your shot."

Sam steps up, analysing the game. Astraea shifts to stand beside Madison, who wraps an arm around her best friend's waist. This the longest they've managed to speak, face-to-face, in the whole time they've been at the party. People keep popping up and attempting to make small talk. The whole floor is massive too, with a couple of bars, the pool table area, several seating areas, and a dance floor complete with DJ. At the other end, there's space for ballroom dancing with a band playing classical pieces and jazz. In a party full of people, it's difficult to find the few people you actually want to talk to.

"So, um, I spoke to some reporter earlier and she was," Astraea lowered her voice to a whisper, "quite fixated on getting a story about problems between people in the Avengers. I just thought it was a bit weird … Might be innocent but I just … I just wanna know what your spy-sense thinks."

"Spy-sense? I'm not a spider, Rhea," Madison laughs, leaning slightly on her cue.

"Believe me, I know two spider people. I've had experience."

"Wait, you know more spiders than Black Widow?" Astraea gives a look. "Kay, we'll discuss that later. I _do_ think it's a little odd, but you didn't say anything did you? Don't wanna give this reporter any more than she already knows."

Astraea frowns. "No. But you don't think she could have a mole or anything." She smoothed down the front of her dress. "Like, why would she think anything like that. Nobody on the team ever behaves like they hate each other on camera or on missions. I mean, yeah, there are probably some tensions that come with living with the people you work with, especially given the pasts of these people, but nobody ever acts like it public. Unless someone – "

"Woah girl, chill. Look, Rhea, it's a party you idiot. Relax, have fun, dance with one of those hot people standing by the bar. Calm. Down. If there's a problem, I'm sure the Avengers have people for this sort of thing. Relax."

"Fine." Astraea mock-scowls and crosses her arms. "Only for you, daft-y."

"Idiot."

 **oOo**

By 11:00 p.m. virtually everyone has gone home. There's just the Avengers, Maria Hill, Rhodey, Madison, and Doctor Cho left for the after-party. They're all collapsed on sofas in one of the lounge areas. Clint is spinning a pair of drumsticks (which makes Astraea wonder if the Avengers have a secret band she hasn't yet been invited to) when he exclaims:

"But, it's a trick!" Clint points to Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, sitting on the glass coffee table – which is, apparently, worthy to hold the hammer up. Maybe it replaces the concept of being on the ground.

"Oh, no. It's much more than that." Thor passes Steve a bottle.

"Uh, 'Whosoever be he worthy shall have the power!' Whatever, man! It's a trick." Clint puts on a daft voice, causing Maria, Madison, and Astraea (all seated on his left) to chuckle.

"Well, please." He gestures to the hammer. "Be my guest."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Clint stands up and prepares to grasp the hammer with one hand, drumsticks in the other. Both Rhodey and Tony make a couple of snarky comments that make everyone laugh.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Clint calls out, seizing hold of the hammer.

Astraea frowns slightly. _Just where Clint saw this type of 'trick' before? It's definitely a circus trick as far as she knows but … oh. Maybe that's how he knows this type of trick._

Clint struggles to lift it and fails. "I still don't know how you do it," he mutters, half-turning to face Thor, chuckling and smiling.

Over the next few minutes, Tony, Tony _and_ Rhodey, and Bruce all fail to lift the hammer. The repulser gauntlets and Banner's fake cry of rage doesn't seem to have helped at all. Steve steps up next to a few calls of encouragement.

He steps up to the table, with everyone looking on intently. Steve attempts to lift it twice but seemingly fails to lift the hammer. Astraea isn't so sure.

"I heard it move," she whispers to Madison. "I swear, it moved the first time and Cap didn't pick it up."

"Maybe the hammer wanted to have some fun," Madison quips, casting Astraea a small, lopsided grin.

"I think he just didn't lift it." Astraea shakes her head, stubborn.

"Oh well. Steve didn't lift it, and I think only you heard it move, Super Ears."

"Hey! Where'd you get that nickname from?"

"Heard Widow use it."

"Wonderful." Astraea rolls her eyes, refocusing on the conversation in front of them.

Thor lifts the hammer himself, flipping it over in his hands. "You're all not worthy."

There are groans from all around, interrupted by a loud screeching noise. Astraea clamps her hands over her ears, mirroring the others, and ducks her head. She's no idea how loud it sounds to the others, but right now it's loud enough that her ears feel like they're going to pop. A small trickle of blood leaks from each of them.

"Damn super-sensitive ears," Astraea mutters under her breath before turning back to the situation in hand.

A broken Iron Legion suit is ambling into the room, wires dangling from its left side. Astraea sways in her seat, dizzy from the pain in her arms. Her head hits the back of the sofa and everything goes black for a few moments.

In the few minutes it takes Astraea to wake up the room is in chaos. Doctor Cho is hiding under the piano; Tony is straddling an Iron Legion bot, and Natasha is firing shot after shot at the robots. Astraea struggles to her feet, launching herself at the robot holding Loki's spectre. Her arms wrap around its middle and she strains her muscles to bring it down. They crash to the floor, but the robot fires a repulsor blast at Astraea. She ducks and lets go. As the robot flies away, Steve smashes his SHIELD into the last Iron Legion suit.

The last suit – Ultron, Astraea think she remembers someone calling it – stands alone, broken body looking even stranger among the crisp modern interior of the tower.

"That was dramatic! I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world, but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to ... evolve?" Ultron wanders around, body lopsided due to the weight difference. "With these? These puppets?" He picks up a broken robot and breaks the face plate off. "There's only one path to peace: The Avengers' extinction."

Thor hurls his hammer at Ultron, smashing him into pieces. Everyone turns to look at Bruce and Tony. Astraea finds Madison and grasps her hand tightly. Looks like they've got a new mission ahead of them – one a lot more complicated than taking down a HYDRA base. One that could spell doom for the world if they fail.

 _Looks like this party just got serious._

* * *

 **There you go then. Quite a long chapter this time; just a smidge of 4K words.**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

 **Let's see what's in store for our heroes now with a maniacal robot, and a snoppy reporter, on the loose. Only time will tell.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	13. Where the hell is Wakanda?

**Howdy, there peeps! It's chapter time again.**

 **Little bit filler I guess, but this scene in the movie is really a sort of filler scene between the two meetings with Ultron. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.**

 **Please don't mention any Black Panther spoilers to me. I haven't seen it (yet!) and I don't want any surprises to be spoiled. Thanks.**

 **As always, I own only my OCs and any own plot points.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Where the hell is Wakanda?**

* * *

"Sweet banana fudge cakes, what the bloody hell was that thing?" Astraea spins round to question Bruce and Tony as soon as Thor leaves to track the spectre-stealing Iron Legion bot. Madison has already headed upstairs, complaining about an ear-splitting headache and a need for sleep.

"Ultron." Bruce states, simple and to the point. "All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out, using the internet as an escape hatch."

"Ultron," Steve repeats, an uncertain look on his face.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance. Probably knows more about us than we know about each other," Natasha murmurs softly, casting glances at everyone in the group, camped out in one the workshops. They're all in constant motion: shifty glances and pacing the room, unnerved by an attack from something in the building that should be safe. It's been an hour since the attack and they're all dog-tired.

"He's in your files, he's in the internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?" Rhodey paces the room, steps echoing on the floor.

"Something like?" Astraea starts scanning faces.

"Nuclear codes." Maria Hill, ex-SHIELD(?) agent, cuts straight to the mark.

"Nuclear codes." Rhodey nods in agreement. "Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can," Rhodey states.

The conversation continues as Astraea zones out. Her eyelids are dropping, and the room is spinning slightly. The pain caused by squeezing a metal robot and the screeching noise hasn't yet gone away. Astraea is struggling to stay awake and slumps down in a cold metal chair. Maybe being uncomfortable will help her keep awake. She needs to listen to this talk – it affects her, too. Now that Astraea is an Avenger, she's going to be expected to step up and fight alongside the rest. Manic robots never seemed to a possible threat to her life and the lives of her loved ones, but now? Seems like just anything could be possible. Especially in a world where gods drop from the sky, men fly in armoured suits, and super soldiers can survive being frozen for almost 70 years. A strange ass world. Terrifying, but worth saving.

Thor bursts into the room just as Bruce finishes his statement:

"This isn't strategy, this is … rage."

The thunder god strides across the room in five steps and seizes Tony by the throat. He hoists the inventor into the air amid the shocked looks of his teammates.

Clint raises an eyebrow. "Woah, woah, woah. It's going around!"

"Come on," Tony still manages to make jokes with an angry Asgardian (literally) at his throat. "Use your words, buddy."

"I have more than enough words to describe you, Stark." Thor intensifies his glare, but still maintains his grip on Tony's neck.

Steve steps forward, ever the peacemaker. "Thor! The Legionnaire."

Astraea jolts upwards from her slumbering position, trying to shake herself back into focus. It's tough, though. She's had a long morning walking and shopping with Madison, followed by an exhausting party, and a robot attack. There are plenty of reasons for Astraea to be collapsing into sweet dreams right now but the turn of the conversation isn't one of them. If she's to be an Avenger, to really be part of the team, Astraea has _got_ to listen and take in everything they say. Which means she should probably get back to _actually_ listening and not just deciding to listen.

"– carried a nuke through a wormhole?" Tony is talking again, and it sounds as though he's halfway through some sort of rant.

"No, it's never come up," Rhodey sounds a little bored. Everyone else is shaking their heads, looking around the room but not really focusing on Tony.

"Saved New York?"

"Never heard of that."

 _Which means he probably heard it a lot. But maybe not for the reasons most would think. Being in an alien invasion and having to deal with all the horrors of what the creatures did to the poor people in New York – it'd give anyone nightmares and maybe even PTSD. But going through that wormhole and seeing the sheer numbers those things had has got to be soul-crushing. On Earth, you go through life happily without knowing about the species out there, among the vastness of space. Maybe some are good, like Thor, but there also the bad and the ugly that just want to bring chaos and havoc to any world. More than enough reason to talk about something so terrifying it would keep anyone awake at night. Even genius billionaires. Especially ones that have already been through a whole host of terrible experiences._

"Recall that? A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We're standing three hundred feet below it." Tony points upwards, gesturing to the now-closed wormhole that opened above the tower and let loose a horde of aliens. "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but, that up there? That's ... that's the end game. How were you guys planning on beating that?" There's a touch of defeat in his voice, hidden amongst the anger. Tony is worried, more worried than he plans on letting on.

"Together." Steve stands taller, looking at the group around him with confidence and pride. His gaze focuses on Tony.

"We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together, too." He switches his gaze away from Tony and switches to look at Thor. "Thor's right. Ultron's calling us out. And I'd like to find him before he's ready for us. The world's a big place. Let's start making it smaller."

Everyone starts engaging in work. Astraea can barely contain a sigh. She knows it's important, but this is really taking the biscuit. She's been for times longer than this before but never has it included party time and robot attacks. It's an effort to give her eyes open but Astraea is determined to be part of this team. Which means trying to track down Ultron when she wants nothing more than to collapse onto her bed and sleep the day away. That's not possible so she'll settle for a cup of coffee and a computer.

As everyone starts working, Steve walks over to Astraea and steers them into a quieter corner. "Look, I noticed you zoning out a couple of times back there. If you need to get some sleep, you can go. You've only just been on a mission and I think we can manage here."

 _Ouch_. That less bit seems a lot like a dismissal.

"Um … I'm good, like, really. That pep-talk really … really gave me an energy boost." Astraea is lying through her teeth right now. She wants nothing more than to say yes, yes, yes, and just go to sleep. But there's a job to be done and she's determined to prove herself to them. "I'm great at computer stuff – learnt a bunch from my Mum before she … Anyway, I'm good solving problems and hacking computer stuff. Did computer science for A-level and some electric and mechanic stuff for my physics degree. I just need a computer, some coffee, and a rubber duck. I'll be good to go then."

"A rubber … duck?"

"Mmm … for the explain-y thingy." Astraea half-smiles at his confused face. "It's a thing that some hackers and coders use to try and find problems in the code. You explain it to a rubber duck and you can often figure out what's wrong with the explanation. It's pretty cool."

"I see. Guess you'll have to go for a quick stop to Thor's cupboard." Astraea tilts her head at him. "It's where he keeps Earth things that he finds amusing or interesting. There's a bunch of rubber ducks in there."

"And where is it?"

"Common floor."

"Thanks." Astraea flashes him a bright smile and jogs out the room. Maybe she'll bring some coffee and have a quicker first. She needs to get out of this dress.

 **oOo**

By the time Astraea returns, dressed in leggings and an oversized 'I-am-SHERLOCKED' hoodie, the rest of the team has also switched to more casual clothes. They're tapping away on laptops, computer keyboards, and using holographic screens. The latter has always seemed a futuristic fantasy to Astraea but now she's living in a building where that fantasy is a reality.

It's exciting and humbling. Time is skipping on around them all and the dreams of yesterday are becoming the reality of today. Hopefully, Astraea will be around to see more of it. _Hopefully_.

 **oOo**

As the small hours of the morning begin to grow larger Steve sends them all to get some rest. They've all been awake for over 24 hours, and honestly, Astraea was just about ready to sleep on the nearest thing she could sit on. It had been simply exhausting to search CCTV and social media for any hints of Ultron. But the robot was so far proving slippery and they all needed sleep. A few reports come in every now and then but not enough to pinpoint a location. It's sporadic and confusing.

So, Astraea just about sprints from the room when Steve suggests they all go sleep for a bit. JARVIS would exactly where she wanted to go the minutes she stepped into the elevator. But he's not here now because of that bastard, Ultron. He would wish her a good rest and remind her to have a drink of something that's not coffee and to eat something more than a handful of biscuits.

"Alright, J," she murmurs to the ceiling. "I will. Don't worry about me."

There's no response. Why would there be? Ultron destroyed the friendly AI and Astraea is ready to tear the robot apart with her bare hands for that. JARVIS only ever tried to help people and defend those he carried about. Now he's the first victim in this war Ultron seems keen to wage against the Avengers and the rest of humanity. The rest of the world, really. He wants the world to evolve but that doesn't happen very quickly at all. There's something else behind those words, and Astraea doesn't think he means to help humanity at all. The world had a lot of evolution after the dinosaurs extinct, but hopefully, they won't have any meteors this time.

Madison is still asleep when Astraea unlocks the door, stumbling over the threshold. Once she makes it to her bedroom her hoodie is tossed off and she collapses on the comfy bed, still wearing the leggings and t-shirt from earlier. Astraea slips into dreams that are anything but pleasant.

 **oOo**

 _Astraea is standing in a run-down city: stone streets that wind around houses of the same colour rock. There's a chorus of panicked screams reverberating through the air, throwing Astraea off balance from all the noise. She runs towards them, but the screams seem to come from everywhere. Astraea just spins on the spot trying to decide who needs her help most._

 _The ground starts to vibrate, as though it's being ripped away from the rest of the world. Astraea sprints away from the widening gap, shouting for people to run, run, run. The screams change into shouting voices, and Astraea knows exactly who they belong to. Her legs direct her closer to the crack as the earth rumbles and shakes. Madison, her father, and a dozen nameless people are hanging onto the rocky edge of the rising chunk of earth. She skids to a stop, realising she can only save maybe two people. Desperate pleas echo around: they have children, they'll miss their sister's wedding, they were on holiday, etc… They go on and on and Astraea staggers around, trying to choose. Her father and Madison are hanging next to each other._

 _An impossible choice._

 _She may be able to save one of them, but if she tries to grab both Astraea could bring them all down. Her mind whirls, trying to choose Madison or her father. Madison, the best friend who has been like a sister, or her father, who was both mum and dad to her. The rocky chunk of earth shivers, sending a few people tumbling into the depths. Astraea cries out for them. Tears prick at her eyes._

 _An Ultron robot appears._

 _"_ _Choose," he says. "Choose whom you couldn't live without. You cannot have them all. Choose."_

 _Astraea screams out loud, lunging for both with her arms outstretched to grab them. Two hands find hers and she starts to pull them up. Her father clambers up first, tanned arms shaking. As the rock begins to crumble, Madison is unable to grasp the final section to reach safety._

 _"_ _You have chosen, little one." The robot laughs, staring at her with strange white-blue eyes._

 _In a last-ditch effort, Astraea flings Madison upwards and backwards towards her father. Momentum carries her forwards, and she tumbles over the edge. She screams for Madison, her arms flapping around in the open air for a second. She plummets towards the ground, far, far below._

 **oOo**

Astraea wakes up in a cold sweat, screaming Madison's name. The latter comes running, slamming the door open and rushing to her friend's side.

She explains her dream, shivering slightly. "It felt so … so real … and I just can't … can't even think about that happening. I don't want to lose you. Or die. I don't want to die, Mads." Tears streamed silently down her cheeks.

"I know. It was just a dream, yeah? We're all fine now. Everything will be – "

There's a knock at the door; Madison opens it to find Clint.

"Tell Astraea to suit-up. We've found a lead on Ultron."

Astraea stumbles out of her room, pushing the door open and blinking blearily at Clint. "Where?"

"Wakanda. Shoulda know you'd hear that, super ears."

She threw her arms up, turning her back to the room and going through her bedroom door. "Ugh! Why does everyone call me that?" A moment later Astraea popped her head out again. "Wait – where the hell is Wakanda?"

* * *

 **Whoop, there you go. Off to Wakanda and the second fight with Ultron next. Stay tuned for some good ol' fight scenes and Wanda-induced fears. Good stuff.**

 **Anyways, please share your thoughts with me (though without any spoilers, hehe).**

 **Hope you've enjoyed this latest chapter.**

 **Until the next week,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	14. There the hell is Wakanda

**Welcome back to this week's chapter. It's Ultron's second appearance and the second major mission for Astraea.**

 **Some parts are obviously more made-up by me than manipulated from the actual movie plot as there is some time jumps in the scene as well as some jumps between characters so you don't actually get any of the in-between parts. So, enter my imagination and a bit of artistic licence, and I'll try to fill in the gaps for Y'all.**

 **I hope you enjoy this.**

 **As always, I only own OCs and original plot parts. I do not own all of Marvel - if I did I would be a hella lot richer than I am right now.**

* * *

 **There the hell is Wakanda**

* * *

Apparently, Wakanda is an intensely private African nation that was the source of vibranium (the super rare metal that Cap's shield was made from) and that was just about all the rest of the world really knows about it. Which isn't really anything at all to go on, but I guess that's the plan. Then nobody can really make any plan of attack if they don't know anything about you.

They aren't – the Avengers – actually going to Wakanda, but rather to some salvage yard on the African coast. That's as much information as Astraea actually gets on the matter; that, and the involvement of someone called Ulysses Klaue. She doesn't have the chance to gather any more information before rushing to the armoury to grab her suit and weapons. If Ultron is here, it's going to get messy quickly. She'd rather not end up becoming victim to an egotistical robot thing-y that wants to destroy this group of people she now calls her friends.

 _Does he actually consider me on that list? I've only done one official mission so far and only just been officially announced as an Avenger. Surely, I won't be listed as much as a threat as the others to Ultron._

A torrent of thoughts bubble around in Astraea's head, keeping her occupied until they finally land at the salvage yard. This mission is just a little bigger than a HYDRA base. Once you destroy the base, it can't be easily repaired. But Ultron can use the internet to escape, and seemingly has multiple bodies. Just a smidge more complicated.

 **oOo**

Astraea, dressed in her Nemesis suit, is hidden in the shadows of the broken-down ship in the salvage yard that they've managed to pinpoint Ultron to. While Thor, Steve, and Tony act as the main force to distract Ultron, Natasha and Clint are taking down as many of the brigands in the base as possible. Bruce is waiting on the jet – they don't want a code green so close to a city if something were to happen with the Hulk around. The newbie superhero is just waiting and watching, close to the trio of men, ready to spring into action as a hidden advantage if needed.

The group enter the building, signalling for Astraea to stay hidden and out of sight. But that means she can't see an awful lot and can only really listen to what's going on. Thank goodness for super ears.

However, something startles her into a mild panic, bile rising up her throat as she recognises a voice that she never expected to be there. It's that teenager from the Sokovian base, the one who whizzed by in a silver blur and distracted Clint so much he got shot by a blue energy blast.

 _What the hell is he doing here?_

A million questions are bursting forwards in her brain, but the crashes start to happen before she can focus on any of them. There's a murmur across the comms line; it's the prearranged signal word for Astraea to join in the fight – 'crumpets'. It's completely random and bears no link to her at all, aside from the fact that both she and the food are British. But that fits a lot of people, so Astraea figures she's okay.

The scene in front of her, on the other hand, is anything but okay. Thor is swinging his hammer around, Tony is firing blasts, and Steve is using his ultimate Frisbee of destruction. Sonic the Sokovian is zipping around the place, leaving little more than a silver blur behind. There's another person there too – a girl around Astraea's age with free-flowing brown locks and clouds of red energy on her fingertips. It looks like she's able to manipulate the stuff and Astraea resolves to call her Sabrina the mean-age witch, or just Sabrina for short. Sonic and Sabrina seem like one well-tuned duo to Astraea's untrained eyes. Related, maybe?

Astraea rushes into the fray, launching herself at the nearest troop. There's a mixture of human fighters and some new Ultron robots running around. Sonic is collapsed somewhere on the floor, having mistakenly grabbed Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. Sabrina is blasting waves of red energy around the ship. There's a crash as Iron Man and Ultron smash through the ship roof.

A bot lands in front of her, blue eyes glowing. Astraea leaps up and around it, wrapping her arms around its neck and squeezes tightly. Slowly but surely the two sides of the metal neck creak closer together and she pops the head off. The broken body sinks to the ground. Another appears out of nowhere, and she tosses it towards Steve. It grabs his shield, but he manages to flip it around, holding the rim under its neck. Thor smashes the head off with his hammer.

Her muscles ache, and Astraea takes a moment to lean against the metal railings for support. A nervous-sounding Bruce comes over the comms:

"Guys, is this a code green?"

There's answering chatter over the radio, just silence.

A few moments later, Astraea spots the silhouette of Sabrina, moving through the ship. There's a faint tinge of red to the air – she must be using her powers on someone. Astraea's about to step forward to investigate when Thor's voice comes over the radio.

"The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care, I doubt a human could keep her at bay. Fortunately, I am mighty … " He trails off into silence.

There's doubt nagging at Astraea's mind – if this girl can manipulate minds, what exactly is she capable of doing to them? Forget Ultron, Sabrina might just be their most dangerous enemy yet if she can turn their own minds against them.

A gentle patter of footsteps echoes in Astraea's ears, not too close to her, but near to where Steve is apparently standing. She creeps closer, identifying the light steps of their resident witch. But she's too late. Just as Astraea peeks her head around the corner, the room lights up with that red glow. Sabrina has done her job. Whatever mind games she is playing, Astraea knew they couldn't be anything good for the team. Old memories, darkest fears, warped glimpses of possible futures. The visions could be anything at all, but none of them would be helpful. No, not from this witch. The Avengers' minds are merely playthings for Sabrina, something she can control and use to her advantage.

With two Avengers out of action, Astraea is starting to feel like the odds are starting to stack against them. It was too dangerous for Bruce to unleash the Hulk so close to the city, and she hadn't seen Tony anywhere for at least five minutes. Widow and Hawkeye were somewhere else on the boat, but she hadn't heard from them in a while. She's drowning now, stuck in a sea of impossible choices without anyone to help her out. Unless … unless Astraea seeks out someone more qualified than her. But that would mean leaving Steve and Thor alone in their distracted state. Astraea tilts her head at them as she watches them stand around, motionless with glazed over eyes that shimmer with red. They don't seem to be in any danger, and the plan looks as though it was just to incapacitate them.

Now resolved on a mission, Astraea focuses on the distinctive sounds she associates with Natasha and Clint. The ship isn't too big for her sensitive hearing to pick up on things, and soon enough Astraea detects the tiny buzzing noise of Natasha's special Widow suit, with the blue lines of light standing out against the deep black. Following the noise, she comes across Natasha a few moments later. Her eyes are glazed over with a red light, like with the others.

"Three down, three to go, huh?" Astraea mutters to herself. "Hide and seek with a twist. Hunter and prey."

With Natasha out of action, Astraea only has Clint has an option. Once she finds him they'll … what? Try and get the others to the jet and find Tony, wherever he is. Likely facing off with Ultron somewhere. That would make the most sense. Father and son.

Astraea lets out a low laugh that grows into a giggle, starting to be a bit overwhelmed by everything. They're fighting against a robot that wants to destroy them utterly, a woman who can shut energy balls and control minds, and a man who moves faster than the eye can process. It's ridiculous, and so far away from anything Astraea ever imagined. It's more like something from a comic book rather than real life. _The amazing Avengers battle the horrific Ultron to save the world_. Doesn't seem that way at the moment.

A low roar, echoing from somewhere far away, jolts Astraea out of her slump. A very familiar roar that shouldn't be sounding at all. The sound of a transforming Bruce, that most people would only hear if they were standing closer. As the sound rolls around her, Clint runs into her view, bow in hand. She rushes up to him, trying to explain everything as fast as she can.

" – Bruce … he's hulking out … must be the girl." Her words come out in stops and starts. "Natasha, Steve, and Thor have all been got by her. They're okay but are just stood staring at … staring at nothing. Whatever she's showing them, it can't be good."

Clint nods, expression stern. "Leave Bruce to Stark, we have to get the others out and back to the jet. Can you find them again?"

She nods, and motions for him to follow. Natasha is nearest and still seems to be in her trance. Clint lifts her up, slinging his bow across his back. Astraea keeps her batons out, ready for anyone else still here. She keeps her eyes and ears focused on the environment around them. The bots seem to have vanished, and all the human troops are either dead or unconscious. The way is pretty much clear back to where Astraea left Steve and Thor. Both of them seem to have come out of their Sabrina-induced visions.

Thor is leaning against the wall, a stormy look on his face. The hammer lay beside him, and tiny thundercracks sounding every few seconds. Whatever Sabrina had made him see, it couldn't have been good. With Natasha now awakened, she and Clint were supporting Thor. It always amazed Astraea how Natasha would hide her problems to focus on the task at hand. The Black Widow had to be feeling all sort of turbulent emotions but she was putting Thor ahead of her needs. Hero indeed.

By the time they reached Steve, the Captain is already looking for them. Astraea frowned at him slightly, noticing the way he is projecting his signature 'stoic leader' thing. He has to be as badly affected as the other two but was apparently hiding it all behind a mask. _These people need to sit down and talk_ , Astraea decided, _as soon as we're safe_.

 **oOo**

They make it out of the ship, slowly but surely making their way towards the Quinjet. Clint is talking to Tony over the comms. The latter has found Bruce, but Clint has to inform him that half the team are out of action. There's no way Astraea and Clint can keep everyone safe on the jet and fight the Hulk at the same time. It just won't work.

"I'm calling in VERONICA," Tony announces over the comms.

"Uh," Astraea mumbles, popping her head out of the hatch where she was hunting for drinks for the others, "what's VERONICA?"

"Hulk-buster armour." Clint is blunt and to the point. "In case something happened and Bruce lost control. In case … well, in case this – " he gestures to the screens showing footage of Hulk's rampage, " – were to happen."

"Has … has it been tested before?" Astraea questions, eyes glued to the screens.

"Not really many places you can let a green rage monster loose just to test out some armour on him. Too risky, unless you try a deserted desert or something. Which, we don't exactly have around every corner. It worked in simulations, though."

"Great. So, we've got a billionaire fighting a giant green creature, who had his mind warped by a teenage witch, all thanks to a robot who wants to take over the world. As you do." Astraea gave Clint a weak smile. "Just a normal day for you guys, right?"

"Eh … not really, no." Clint scratches the back of his neck with one hand. "It's usually simpler than this."

Astraea just blinks back at him, too stunned by everything to speak. Whoever said being a hero was easy?

 **oOo**

It takes over an hour, but they finally have everyone on board the jet now. Aside from Clint and Astraea, almost everyone else is sleeping (Tony is tinkering with some contraption). They've all had a trying day – both physically and mentally – so a nap is well deserved. Clint is flying them away from the salvage yard but isn't saying where exactly. Astraea's eyelids begin to droop and she moves to the nearest chair to collapse. Maybe a nap isn't such a bad idea.

 **oOo**

A few hours later and Astraea shakes herself awake again. Maria Hill is on a screen on the jet, talking to Tony. Astraea pulls herself into an upright position, looking around the team scattered around the jet. Steve is standing against the side of the jet; Bruce is laying on the floor, wrapped in a blanket; Natasha is sat down, and Thor is standing the middle of the jet. Only Tony seems active, pacing the floor in front of the screen.

"So, run and hide?" Tony looks Maria dead in the eyes.

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer." Maria offers a small shrug, an apologetic look in her eyes.

Tony glances around the jet, looking at the scattered members of the team. "Neither do we." He switches on the monitor, and heads over to Clint, who's still in the cockpit. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"

Clint keeps his eyes on the sky, focusing on the instrument in front of him. "Nah, I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, cause we're still a few hours out. Everyone else has already had a little nap."

"A few hours from where?"

"A safe house," Cint states, ever the mysterious spy.

There's got to be something special about this 'safe house' for Clint to be so protective of it. Or maybe he just wants to keep some places private from the others. Living with the people you work with has got to mean there's barely any secrets. Well, unless you're a spy-assassin who knows how to hide things from others, even genius billionaires.

Astraea settles back down on her seat, pulling _The Hobbit_ up on her shiny new Stark Phone, which she stashed in her locker before they headed out to the salvage yard, to read. She figured she'd need a way to talk to Madison and tell her she is safe after the kidnapping incident. Plus, it's a lot better than her old phone, so Astraea now takes it everywhere. With Madison now in mind, Astraea flicks to her messages, texting Madison.

 _'_ _Hey. Just finished mission. Found out what Wakanda is and kicked some ass. All safe, and going to some safe house. xxx'_

The message pings as it gets sent and Astraea receives a reply almost immediately.

 _'_ _Thank god! ;) I was so, so worried. Don't do that again to me Rhea you idiot. Tell Bruce I hope he's okay and kick some more robot ass for me girl'_

 _'_ _Will do. Stay safe and don't eat all the ice cream. xxx'_

 _'_ _Too late. Muhahahaha'_

 _'_ _you evil bastard. I'll keep my hidden stash of caramel cupcakes from you then and won't bake you any chocolate + banana muffins. Xxx'_

 _'_ _Who's evil now. *pouts* fine, I'll get more ice-cream to share when you come back.'_

 _'_ _more ice-cream is the last thing you deserve right now. :( xxx'_

 _'_ _hehehe'_

Astraea puts her phone down, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on her legs. While she wants to keep Madison safe from the fight, she also wishes beyond anything that she could be here with her sunny smile and fruity laugh. She could make any room brighter just better walking into it. Astraea misses her beyond anything. She's certain that her fear vision from Sabrina would have had something to do with Madison and maybe that dream of hers. Here's hoping the safe house would provide a little space for them to recover and refocus on the fight.

* * *

 **There you have it. A sort of successful mission and an epic battle between the Hulk-buster armour and Hulk. A pair of nicknames for Wanda and Pietro, and some texts from Madison.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it. I did switch around the part where Clint tells Tony that the whole team is out of action - that actually happens when they're still the ship. But I decided to change them up and add in some other dialogue.**

 **Anyways, I wrote this while listening to the _The Greatest Showman_ soundtrack. I haven't actually seen the movie but the songs are awesome, so the movie must be too.**

 **Happy reading and writing, guys.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has viewed, followed, reviewed, or favourited this story so far. You are all wonderful people and it warms my heart to know people are reading this humble work of mine.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	15. Safehouse? Safehouse

**It's chapter time! I have to take some artistic liberties with this one as we don't actually get everything that happens at the safehouse on the movie, so some things are obviously things I've created.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Sadly, I don't actually own Marvel, which would be awesome if I did. *sighs***

* * *

 **Safehouse? Safehouse**

* * *

The Quinjet is set down in an open field, grass fanning out in the downdraft from the jet. Clint shuts the machine off and activates the door to open up. Bruce pulls on a grey jumper as they all clamber out, feet dragging from tiredness and weariness. Clint actually seems to light up in Astraea's eyes, his whole body relaxes and he actually smiles for the first time since everyone boarded the jet after the disastrous battle at the salvage yard.

The promised safe house is a large farmhouse, complete with porch and rocking chair. There's a slightly battered barn sitting close to the house and a large pile of firewood for chopping just in front of the house. Self-carved fences enclose various fields. Clint leads them in, with Natasha stepping over the threshold with uncharacteristic eagerness. Astraea frowns slightly, not sure of what to make of all the information here. Both Clint and Natasha seem very relaxed here, and the farmhouse looks way too big to be a simple safe house. There's some other secret here that Astraea just can't put her finger on.

As Clint aids Natasha through the door, Astraea takes one last look around the exterior of the building. Its wooden exterior is painted white and trimmed with green. There are a few potted plants by the door and dark green shutters for the windows. It looks more like a home than a safe house. The kind that would be filled with a happy family to make wonderful memories in. Though the house looks nothing like the one Astraea grew up in (a three-storey modern build with full-length glass windows and local stone walls), it feels familiar. A busy house that's loved by those who live there. A _home_.

The Avengers slowly clamber through the door, passing through the hallway and by the stairs to enter a generous kitchen-dinner with a lounge area. There's toys scattered all over the floor, coffee mugs on the table, and herbs on the window sill. This is definitely not the kind of place you only stay in occasionally. It's chaotic but quaint, large but cosy. Astraea spins on the spot, taking everything in. When she spies a plate of chocolate cookies on the counter-top her stomach grumbles loudly. This house is so lovely that Astraea is ready to collapse on the sofa and munch on snacks until she falls asleep. It's the perfect family home.

That begs the question, whose house is it?

 **oOo**

Everyone is still looking at the room, shifting awkwardly in the strange building, waiting for some sort of cue from Clint. He and Natasha look ten times more relaxed than before – they must know who lives here. If the spies are relaxed, then Astraea ought to be too; they wouldn't let their guards down for anything they weren't certain of. She's already learnt that much about them for the couple of months they've spent together.

Then Clint murmurs, "Honey, I'm home." The whole thing is getting even crazy, and Astraea's head is spinning.

 _Honey?!_

A woman with long, dark brown hair steps around the corner. She immediately steps up to Clint, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him tenderly.

"Gentlemen," Clint glances over at Astraea and the rest of them, "and Astraea, this is Laura."

"Hi." The woman – Laura – waves at them awkwardly and gives them a nervous flash of teeth. "I know all your names."

Tony mumbles something about her being an agent to Thor. Everyone, excluding Natasha, is staring in shock, trying to process everything that's going on.

 _This is gonna sink all those Clintasha ships now_ , Astraea thinks absently as she watches the scene play out _, apparently Clint has a significant other that isn't Natasha like so many internet people love to believe._

There's a pitter-patter sound of footsteps that gets rapidly louder coming from just under the corner. Two children dash through the open doorway, running straight into Clint's arms. The smile on that latter's face is the biggest Astraea's ever seen it. This is clearly where Clint truly belongs; Astraea can't even begin to imagine the amount of strength and courage you need to face horrific dangers all the time whilst being separate from your family. Then again, the Avengers certainly seem to have become Clint's second family – the other group of people he'll feel completely at home with, even if it forces him away from his first.

When the smallest of the pair – a girl about 6 or 7 years old – clambers out of the hug, wearing a huge smile, she has only one question:

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" Everyone turns to stare at Natasha as the little girl searches for her 'Auntie'.

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Natasha has a smile on her face despite the haggardness of her earlier appearance. She takes the girl into a hug, picking her up tightly.

The rest of them are still standing around awkwardly, looking on the reunion plays out in front of them. Likely for most of the group, they never had anything like this really, Astraea ponders slightly, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Steve shuffles on her feet slightly, othering Laura an apologetic look. "Sorry for barging in on you."

"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed." Tony gives Clint a pointed look; Clint just shrugs in response.

"Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low." Clint keeps his one arm wrapped around Laura and the other around the older sibling, a boy who appears about 10 years old.

Astraea's ears pick-up on a crunching noise as Thor steps on a small Lego house. Steve glances at the former as he tries to hide the mess underneath a sofa. Astraea stifles a laugh, barely, raising an eyebrow at the god.

Meanwhile, Natasha has stepped forwards to Laura, touching her bump. "How's little Natasha, huh?"

A pained look crosses Laura's face. "She is … Nathaniel."

Natasha leaned is closer and murmured against Laura's pregnant stomach. "Traitor."

Floorboards creak gently as Thor leaves the room, heading out on the porch followed by Steve. Bruce steps slightly closer into the room. Everyone stands in awkward silence for a few moments before Laura starts throwing out suggestions with a nervous smile.

"So, how about everyone gets a shower and changes into something a little more comfortable?"

 **oOo**

They've only been at the farm a few hours and already Astraea wants to stay here forever. There's something comforting about the wide-open spaces of the fields and the cosiness inside the house that really draws a person in. It's the perfect place to raise a family and she can really see why Clint and Laura choose this place. It really is a wonderful home.

Tony and Steve are outside, chopping up a mountain of logs for the wood-burning fireplace in the living room. The latter has a noticeably larger pile, but Astraea's ears manage to pick up on the murmurs of an argument that has nothing to do with chopping up wood. It seems to be about Ultron, and how it would affect the team. Astraea shivers and walks away from the window. She'd rather not think about Ultron any more than she has to. That dream of hers keeps popping up and she can't get it out of her head. If Sabrina the teenage witch had hit Astraea with her powers that dream would definitely be the fear vision she saw.

She steps further into the house, sinking onto the sofa cushions in exhaustion. Astraea had changed into more casual clothes stored on the jet – dark blue jeans, a Hogwarts crest t-shirt, and a dark blue hoodie with Cap's shield on it. The hoodie was a gift from Tony, who'd gotten them all a set of Avengers-themed clothing in appropriate sizes and other various merchandise. Now Astraea had Black Widow underwear, a Hawkeye _Nerf_ bow, a Thor necklace, and Iron Man socks as just a few things in her collection along with the hoodie. There are also a few Nemesis things out there, with the symbol of copper scales on a black background, but Nemesis hadn't even looked at those.

 _It's too weird, looking at stuff that people buy just because it's got your superhero symbol on. Then again, it's exactly what the others go through, expect that Tony probably enjoys it a lot more than the others._

A few minutes later, Clint's daughter sits down next to her, holding a collection of pens and a huge wad of plain paper.

"My name's Lila. Wanna draw with me?" Lila gives Astraea a big, toothy smile that just melts the older girl's heart. "And then we can play Hide 'n' Seek, cause it's not very fun with just two but now we can have three people so it'll be more awesome. What's your name?" She says it all very rapidly and just spreads her supplies out on the table.

"I'm Astraea, and sure thing, Lila, I'd love to draw with you." She smiles softly. "Anything, in particular, you want to draw?"

"Daddy being a superhero," Lila declares loudly, "cause he's my favouritist hero."

"Awesome." Astraea grabs a black pen and starts drawing out an outline of Clint as Hawkeye. Madison has dragged Astraea along to an art class, against the latter's protest that she didn't need to learn how to draw. It had been very interesting though, and Astraea had added a bunch more skills to her list. Astraea wasn't anything special, but Art had been something her mother loved, so she had taught Astraea since she was a little girl, until she had passed away … Astraea shook her head, pushing herself out of those thoughts. She isn't going to go down that road at the moment.

Lila babbles on about her favourite foods and whether or not she can convince her daddy to buy her a pony. "And I really want it to be cute and fluffy and have a unicorn horn. Then we can have adventures together and I can learn archery like Cooper is. And then I can be a superhero like daddy." She turns to look at Astraea's work. "That's good. Are you a superhero too?"

Astraea drops the pen in surprise, looking over to see Lila giving her big puppy dog eyes. "Uh … I guess? I'm, um, not really sure."

"You had a costume and you were with the 'Vengers. That means you gotta be a superhero."

"Alright then, munchkin, I'm a superhero." Astraea chuckles and ruffles Lila's hair. "Let's see these pictures of yours, then."

Lila lifts it up proudly, showing them to Astraea. There's a purple figure in one, shooting a green alien with black arrows. Another shows all the Avengers – Hulk is massive and green, Iron Man in red and yellow, Black Widow as a black figure with red curls, etc… A third one is a large pink and purple butterfly.

"That one's for Auntie Nat. I'm gonna show it to her at dinner," the little girl says, pointing to it with one finger.

"Well, they're all beautiful. You'll be an artist in no time at all." That gets another toothy grin from Lila. "You'll have to invite me to all your art exhibitions."

She nods solemnly. "First we gotta find Copper and play Hide 'n' Seek."

"Alrightly then. Lead the way, Princess Lila the artist." She stands up with a flourish, bowing to the little girl in a way that makes her giggle.

 **oOo**

Some time whilst Steve and Tony were chopping up wood and Astraea was playing with Lila; the supposedly dead ex-Director of SHIELD turns up in a barn. When Astraea heads into the kitchen after playtime, Laura is cooking up a storm. There's pots and pans everywhere as she tries to cook a meal for 10 people when she was only expecting to feed her and the two kids. Heavenly smells are drifting through the house, but Laura seems on the verge of panic. The sounds of running water seem to indicate that Natasha or Bruce has just gotten out of the shower.

Still, the sound of Laura cussing softly under her breath is what Astraea is really focusing on. She could hear it halfway across the field she was playing with the Barton duo in and decides to turn up before with a simple objective: to help. Astraea has always loved cooking, so she quietly offers her services to a stressed Laura.

"Um, I'm happy to … uh, help?" Astraea steps into the kitchen, offering the Barton matriarch a small smile. "You kinda look a little … " She trailed off, uncertain on how to talk to this wonderful woman who had welcomed them all into her home.

"Oh. Thank you." Laura gave her a large, somewhat flustered smile, looking around the kitchen with a slightly lost expression. "Yes, that would be lovely. It's just so … just so mess cooking for so many with only two hands, y'know."

Astraea just nods and fidgets with the hem of her jumper.

A loud ding! sends Laura into action. "Right – chopping vegetables would be very, very useful if you could. Please." Laura turns to the pile of carrots and potatoes by the sink and sighs. "And peeling them apparently, if it's not too much trouble."

After Astraea assures her that no, it was fine, Laura busies on with her work leaving Astraea with a massive mound of vegetables. Locating a peeler is easier said than done though, and Astraea has to ask Laura to point the right drawer out for her. Still, she picks up the pace quickly and soon a pile of peelings is becoming an ever-growing mountain beside the sink. The freshly peeled vegetables are in bowls of water, ready to be chopped. It's simple work, but great for taking your mind off things, you would rather not think off. That is, of course, until your fellow kitchen worker strikes up a conversation.

"How did you end up here, Astraea?" Laura asks softly, not looking over from her place at the stove. "And I don't how you ended up in my house, I mean being an Avenger. You should be going to college, going out on nights-out, and stressing about exams, not maniacal robots." There's no judgement in her voice, just questioning curiosity.

"Uh … that is a good question which has a long and complicated answer," Astraea replies, trying to avoid the subject. "I am, however, taking online university courses and I still go out, sometimes. I was never really a 'going out' person. Not at night, anyways. Books, Netflix, and ice-cream for me."

At that Laura actually turns to look at her and there's an exasperated look on Mrs Barton's face. "Honey, I know when someone's talking around a question. God knows my husband does it far too often." Her lips pursed slightly at that, but her gaze softens into something like compassion. "I'm very good at telling when people are lying – I have two children after all. If there's anything you want to talk about, I have time. I'm a mother, sweetie, I know how to listen to people who need a little comfort. Dinner can wait a while."

Laura guides Astraea to a chair at the large, wooden, family table and they sit and talk. Astraea talks and talks about everything that lead to her sitting in that wooden chair, next to a woman who is so brave and caring and simply kind. Laura takes the younger girl's hand, holding it tight across the table and squeezing it occasionally. When Astraea gets to her dream, Laura murmurs words of comfort and doesn't stop being a warm presence beside her.

She finishes in half-an-hour, and by then the two chickens and the roast beef joint have just about cooked. The beep of a timer pulls both women out of their little bubble; as one they start working, unaware that a certain archer is watching when across the room with a smile on his face. Laura and Astraea finish the wonderful dinner that Laura had started, and call everyone in. And when Astraea takes a seat on one side of Laura and opposite Lila, both Barton parents smile at the teenager relaxing in their home.

Here it's safe and warm, far away from robots and dreams and monsters. Here the Avengers can be people for a while. Here they can share a dinner and fight off the bad thoughts through the night.

* * *

 **There you go then; some mother-'daughter' type bonding between Astraea and Laura, and some cuteness with Lila. No Madison this time, but I understand from several reviews that she's your favourite. She is definitely an OC I love writing - so feisty.**

 **Well, that's that for now. See you next time.**

 **Hope you enjoyed reading it, and thank you to everyone who reads, favourites, follows, or reviews. You really make my day!**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	16. Trust

**Hey guys, it's chapter time! Sorry for a day's delay. I've been very busy with college work so didn't really have much time to post anything. But I'm here now, so everything's all good.**

 **Anyways, I don't own Marvel. Unfortunately.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Trust**

* * *

The next morning, the Avengers split up into various groups, each heading out on different missions. Clint, Steve, and Natasha are heading Seoul to find Doctor Cho; Tony is going to the NEXUS in Oslo, and Astraea is feeling just a little bit useless. At the moment, her best option seems like heading back to the Tower with Bruce (courtesy of Airline Nick Fury) and do … what exactly? Bruce has hypothesised that Ultron wants to use the cradle and all the vibranium he stole to build a new body. One the Avengers can't hope to beat. Ever. It sounds just as brilliant as it'll be if the trio can't stop him. They'll try to recover the cradle and hopefully destroy Ultron's plan. It's the only move they've got at the moment, coupled with the uncertainty of whoever this 'ally' is, the one who keeps changing the nuclear codes. This 'ally' could be on their side, or merely the enemy of an enemy of the Avengers'. There are no certainties and it's a risky move. If it plays off though, they might have another someone to add to their posse.

Numbers are definitely needed against Ultron and his robot army if nothing else.

For now, though, Astraea is ready to go home with Bruce and set things up for the cradle. Then it's only a matter of trying to convince her ex-SHIELD agent best friend to stay at home, away from the massive fight that's, no doubt, going to happen. Soon.

Still, protecting Madison is just as important to Astraea as stopping Ultron. Her best friend has been through enough fights and rough places to never deserve them again. If fighting a robot hellbent on destroying the Avengers, and maybe even the whole human race, keeps Madison out of it then Astraea will do it in a heartbeat. She'll do anything to keep her friend safe, something she knows Madison will do in return. They have each other's backs, no matter what.

 **oOo**

Laura comes up to Astraea as they leave, enveloping the younger woman in a warm hug. Astraea melts into the embrace; she hasn't had a motherly hug since she was eight years old, over 11 years ago.

"Take care of yourself, and make sure you come back alive, sweetie," Laura says, pulling out of the hug. "You're too young for this, really." She waves away Astraea's protests. "No, listen. You are too young. Astraea – you're just a teenager trying to deal with a problem much bigger than you, than any of the people of that team. This doesn't have to be your job, no matter how much you think it ought to be. I know people like you: brave, idiotic, and caring people. Clint is one of them. Don't forget that you're a person, too, and people get hurt. They bleed when they fall down, and that's okay. There's nothing for you to prove – you don't have to be with the Avengers because you need to show something to the world or because you owe the world. You don't owe anyone.

"Now, remember to come home safe. Or come back here. I know two children who would love to have an older 'sister' to play with." With that, she turns away to give her husband one last embrace. Astraea stands motionless, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. A tear pricks at her left eye, and Astraea has to duck out before anyone watches her cry.

It doesn't take long to find an appropriate hiding spot; the Barton children's treehouse is empty, and it's easy for Astraea to hide in. Her pent-up tears spill out in a messy explosion of emotion. She curls up in a ball, wrapping her arms around her legs, and letting the salty tears run down her face freely.

 _How could anyone be so free and giving with their love like Laura Barton?_

Astraea knows all about giving your affection to people you care about greatly – she's given everything to her family and friends – but to show the same level towards someone you met only yesterday? An utter stranger, who invaded your house alongside another four (okay, technically five but Thor didn't stay) strangers. Then you treat them as your own and give such welcome care. Amazing. Astraea always tries to be friendly and caring to new people – though, admittedly it is very difficult to do all the time – but never to this degree. Laura Barton is an utter treasure, and ought to be treated as such.

But its' not just her warm personality. It's her free-giving of a mother's love that really makes the tears pour down Astraea's cheeks and makes her bawl like a new-born. _Older sister._ That's how Laura referred to her as, and probably came from what Lila and Copper said. It makes Astraea smile through her tears. It's been a long time since she's been a part of a functioning family. Her older siblings (twin sisters, Eris and Electra) had left 5 years before she was born and only came around for occasional meetings annually. Astraea's younger brother, Castor, died when Astraea was 15, the result of a hit-and-run. A few months later Astraea had gone to university and only returned infrequently for short visits. Her father became even more engrossed in his work, and the family just fell apart. Now Astraea maybe has two families – the one with the Avengers and Madison, and one with the Bartons.

A fresh wave of tears streams down her cheeks as her ears pick-up the pitter-patter of Lila's footsteps, heading towards the treehouse. Astraea sits up, brushing off tears off her cheeks, and trying not to look quite so dishevelled.

"Hiya. Mommy said that you might need a hug so I brought Hawkey with me." The little girl proudly holds up a stuffed toy hawk that looks well-loved and a little battered.

"Aww … he's cute," Astraea murmurs, excepting a sudden hug from Lila. "Thanks for the hug. Do I have to – I mean, is everyone ready to leave now?"

"I think so." Lila rocks backwards and forwards on her toes, chewing absently on one of the hawk's wings. "But I like having a 'nother girl, l cause Coop's boring an' I wanna play and stuff with my toys and he just wanna … just wanna not play with me. An' I'll be sad cause Daddy's gotta go again." A frown crosses her face, and her eyes scrunch up. "I don't want anyone to go cause then they don't come back for ages an' ages an' ages … Dat's why I need 'nother sister," She says it all in a very matter-of-a-fact way, staring at Astraea afterwards, looking for a response.

"Uh … we'll come back. Don't worry." Astraea scoops Lila onto her lap, squeezing the little girl tight. "We'll all be safe and unhurt and come home as fast as we can. You know why?" Lila shakes her head, hugging Hawkey to her chest. "Because we've got your Daddy, that's why. And Thor, and Iron Man, and Captain America, and Black Widow. They're the Avengers and they always come home safe, understand?" A nod this time. "I'll promise to come back quickly and play with you again if you promise to be good and not worry. Do you promise?"

"Uh-huh. I promise."

"Alright then, pinky-promise with me."

"But I already done a promise."

"Ah, but this one is extra special, so it'll make us come back even quicker." They lock pinky fingers together. Astraea shifts Lila off her lap, leading to the ladder. "Come on, kiddo, let's got see everyone off one last time, and then you can go back to your mum." _And I'll go help with the next step towards stopping a robot that wants to take over the world._

 **oOo**

There's silence on the jet as Nick Fury and Maria Hill fly Astraea and Bruce back to the Tower. They've got lots of things to do, but the spy-duo aren't staying. Apparently, there's something secret and confidential they need to try and find. That's the end of that conversation. The flight is pretty quick and Astraea almost wishes it had been longer. Maybe that would've given her even more time to sort out the crazy mess of thoughts that is her brain at the moment.

In the few moments it takes them to walk into the Tower, Astraea sends a quick message to Madison, asking her to get her butt upstairs and say hello. Assuming, of course, she's still in the building. It is a Saturday though, the day they used to spend all day working, so they've definitely got no classes. The party deck is just as quiet as the Quinjet was. There's no JARVIS wishing them a 'Good morning', and there's no one around. Just fancy furniture and high-tech gadgets. Astraea's heart aches for the cosy comfort of the Barton farmhouse once more.

Still, there's work to be done.

 **oOo**

Two hours later and there's still no reply from Madison. Astraea and Bruce have managed to set up a considerable part of the tech needed to receive the cradle but there's not a whole lot they can do without actually having the thing with them physically. So, it's back to sitting and waiting. Astraea's been doing too much of that lately, and it's really starting to grate on her.

She starts pacing the front part of the party deck that looks down on New York City. The view is magnificent, but that's not what's occupying her right now. No, Astraea's got billions of different scenarios playing out on why Madison hasn't answered. She could've been captured by an Ultron bot. She broke her phone. She's been mugged. There are way too many thought tracks running through Astraea's brain and she's analysing them all intensely as she nibbles down on her bottom lip and paces the floor.

Then it hits her: this is exactly how Madison must've felt when Astraea had been at the Tower for nearly 3 whole days without even sending a message to say where she was. Okay, so she didn't exactly plan for it to happen and did sleep for like a whole day, but that's beside the point. This nail-biting, nervous tension expanding in her chest like a bubble waiting to burst is exactly the same thing Madison was going through. Astraea never even thought about it before. She knew her best friend was concerned but just how concerned she never figured out. Until now. Now she knows just why Madison had such an extreme reaction to her sudden arrival back home. It's a waiting game; just hopes and prayers that your loved one will return to you safely. That they're okay and you can have them close and safe again.

The weight is threatening to crush her like a rock.

Astraea stands still, biting down on her lip so hard it starts bleeding, the metallic taste fills her mouth, and just stares out the window. There's a soft ahem! from behind her, and she whirls around, battle-ready. It's only Bruce though.

"You may, ah, wear through the floor at that rate." He chuckles slightly, but it's very detached. Almost like Bruce is trying to cheer himself up by making jokes for Astraea.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Hmm … maybe. I don't think I'll get that far."

There's a pregnant pause, both of them unsure of how to continue. Astraea's never really spent that much time with Bruce, despite her science degrees. Most of her time at the Tower has been spent training with either Clint, Natasha, or Steve. Tony helped her set-up a lab and occasionally pops in to see if she's done any good 'sciencing'. At the moment she'd been working on crafting a katana for more effective attacks if aliens ever came again. But not much time in the company of one Bruce Banner, excluding team dinners and movie nights.

In the moment of indecision, Bruce steps away and disappear into the shadows of the room. Astraea remains at the window, staring out through the glass, wishing Madison would just come home.

 **oOo**

Another hour slowly ticks by, and Astraea's seen nothing of Bruce since he disappeared. She's about to ask JARVIS to locate the wayward scientist when she remembers. The Tower seems much quieter without the AI.

Still, Astraea reckons it's about time she goes and finds Bruce. Armed with two mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits (not the kind Americans have, but rather a plate of Bourbons and digestives) and goes on the hunt. It's only a few floors down that she discovers him, leaning against a leather sofa in the near dark, with only a trickle of light coming through the windows.

She pads over to him, offering the mug, and setting the plate on the floor. Bruce accepts the mug, wrapping his fingers around it and sucks in the heat like it's his lifeline. Astraea joins him on the floor, but he shifts slightly away from her.

"You shouldn't sit so close to a monster." Bruce makes the heavy statement in a monotone voice.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not sitting next to a monster then, isn't it?" Astraea says breezily, offering a bright grin.

Bruce laughs, but it's hollow and empty, like an already dead man being sentenced to death. "I wouldn't be so sure. Didn't you see what happened? The news certainly did. And they're right to call me a monster. Who else turns into a giant green freak and goes on a mad rampage through a city?"

"That wasn't your fault. You weren't in control because your mind had been warped by Sabrina the teenage witch." Astraea shuffles slightly closer and munches slowly on a biscuit. "I don't agree with the news. They like to show only half of the story, and sometimes show people in a far worse light than they ought to. I mean, I guess some people _are_ as bad as the news paints them but not everyone. Probably barely anyone. People wrap facts all the time, and newspapers and shows need to make everything more interesting, even if that means embellishing the story a bit … shouldn't always trust the news."

"Or me."

"Or what? Or anyone in the world who has the ability to kill people? A lorry driver could decide to plough into a crowd of shoppers and kill 20 people. Someone could decide to murder their family. A teenager can decide to take a gun to school and massacre their classmates. They've all had a lot more choice than you. We just need to change laws to make it more difficult for people to get guns, to get weapons, to have the equipment to do evil things.

"You have a bit of a different problem, but when you lost control, you did exactly that. Bruce, you had no control over your actions, so you shouldn't be held accountable for them. It's saying it's the knife's fault for stabbing someone. It was the person who controlled the knife, not the weapon itself. In the end, it's the people who gave Sabrina her witchy powers who are at fault for it. That destruction is on them, not you."

"Isn't it?" There's more heat to Bruce's voice, and … is that a flash of green in his eyes? "At any moment I could be triggered and kill people. I'm a danger to everyone in the building, and particularly those who are too close."

"I don't think you'll kill me. Maybe I'll get hurt accidentally, but nothing more than that. I trust you."

"How?" He ran a hand through his hair, dropping the mug on the floor so hot tea soaked into the carpet. "How could anyone trust me?"

"I wasn't finished yet. Natasha trusts you, and so does Clint. That's two superspies on your side who probably don't trust easily. Steve, Thor, and Tony all trust you. I trust you. All you need know is trust yourself. Trust that you'll be okay and that not everything is your fault."

"I don't think I can do that. Trust me? No. I can't do that."

"Yet. You can't do it yet." Astraea pushes gently. "At least trust that we trust you."

"Okay. I think I can do that."

"Great!" Astraea stands up, offering a hand to Bruce. "Let's leave this dark place and let Tony discover that tea stain later. I've got a sword to find, and there's a cradle to receive."

" _The_ Cradle, you mean. There's only one."

Astraea bumps Bruce's shoulder gently with her own, like a friendly cat. "Yeah, yeah. Technicalities. Whatever."

They arrive back on the party deck as the Quinjet lands. A harried-looking Steve and worried Clint clamber out. There's no sign of Natasha. What on earth happened in Seoul?!

* * *

 **There you go. A nice bit of fluff with Laura and Lila, and a one-to-one chat with Bruce. Don't worry Madison fans, she will be back in the next chapter. Or will she? *evil laughter***

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this. Lot's of emotion, and we'll be getting back into lot's of action next time.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	17. A new friend

**Hey guys, sorry for another late chapter. I've been very busy at the moment and didn't want to only give you half a chapter. So, I finished it up in whatever moments I could grab and here we are.**

 **As always, I don't own Marvel.**

 **Much of the speech here is taken from an online transcript, but some stuff obviously changes with the addition of Astraea.**

 **Anyways, we've got a bit of science, a bit of fighting, and a bit of talking on this brand new chapter for you wonderful readers.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

 **A new friend**

* * *

Tony returns a few moments after Steve and Clint return – they brought with them the two enhanced. Natasha is nowhere to be seen. By the sounds of it, she was kidnapped by an Ultron bot whilst delivering the cradle into the Quinjet. So, they're one Avenger down, but they've gained two young adults who seem to have changed sides. Such is the life of an Avenger.

Astraea doesn't get much time to make awkward introductions with the two newbies (Wanda and Pietro Maximoff she learns). Tony drags her into the lab where he and Bruce are working on the cradle, muttering as he does so:

"You're a physicist and biochemist, right?" Astraea nods mutely in reply. "Great, I want your opinion on something."

'Something' turns out to be the vibranium android currently encased within the cradle. Ultron never managed to upload himself fully, so it's essentially like an empty body with a steering force. Without a consciousness. It's all very interesting, but then Tony drops another bombshell on Astraea and Bruce. The latter is discussing working on degenerating the tissue, but Tony has other ideas.

"Yeah, about that." Tony glances at the two. Astraea leans forward, elbows on the cradle's surface, eyes lighting up with interest.

At the same time, Bruce veers the other way. "No."

"You have to trust me."

"Kinda don't."

Astraea chuckles softly.

"Our Ally? The guy protecting the military's nuclear codes? I found him."

Tony brings up the spherical orange hologram of JARVIS' consciousness. Astraea's only seen it once, briefly, when Tony was showing it to Bruce and she'd walked by. It must have been when they were working on Ultron, Astraea realises because there was another bigger blue sphere in there as well. But all that flies out of her head. It's JARVIS back again! Astraea squeals in joy and happiness, waving in the direction of the hologram.

"Hi J! Nice to see you're safe after all." Her voice quietens slightly. "I've missed your nice little 'hellos' and snarky comments and wit and … It's nice to have you back."

"Hello Miss Blake, Doctor Banner. I have also missed you."

Astraea grins in spite of herself. Maybe the AI doesn't have a real body, but he is as much a real person to the Avengers – especially Tony – as any other human. He's got a real personality that you miss when it's no longer there. Maybe it had been only a few days, but everyone had missed the AI. It is wonderful to have him back. But Tony mentioned him specifically _after_ seemingly suggesting that he has another plan for the android currently sleeping the cradle. Something to do with JARVIS?

"Ultron didn't go after JARVIS 'cause he was angry. He attacked him because he was scared of what he can do. So – JARVIS went underground. Okay? Scattered, dumped his memory. But not his protocols. He didn't even know he was in there until I pieced him together."

Bruce shakes his head, frown lines appearing on his forehead as he takes in the situation. Astraea is sitting on the cradle now as the two me walk around it in a battle of wits. Still, she hops off as Bruce steps closer, his hands ghosting over the surface.

"So … you want me to help you put JARVIS into this thing?" There's a touch of incredulity in his voice.

"No, of course not!" Tony grins and gives Bruce an innocent look. "I want to help you put JARVIS in this thing." Bruce shakes his head as Tony gestures wildly to the cradle. "We're out of my field here. You know bio-organics better than anyone."

"Uh … so why am I here? I mean, it looks like you guys have it all covered so … " Astraea trails off slowly after her tentative question, hand raised halfway in the air.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Because having another biochemist isn't a bad idea. You graduated that course at, what? 16? 17? You've got good at it or at least a very quick learner."

"17. But that's not the point. Doesn't Bruce have like, 20 PhDs, or something? I think he can cope with a vibranium robot."

"Actually, I think it's seven," Tony answers back, leaning against the cradle. "But you can never have too many clever people to help on a project like this." He frowns slightly. "Ok, so maybe you _can_ have too many people, but that's beside the point. I think three people is a good amount for adding an AI to an android built by a robot."

"Whoa, whoa. Wait. You're assuming I'm even doing this. Which, I'm not." Bruce waves at the air in front of them, as if trying to fight them off. "And you just assume that JARVIS' operational matrix can beat Ultron's?"

"JARVIS _has_ been beating him from inside without knowing it. This is the opportunity, we can create Ultron's perfect self, without the homicidal glitches he thinks are his winning personality. We _have_ to." Tony gives him an almost-pleading look, using those dark brown eyes to give an innocent look worthy of Bambi.

"I believe it's worth a go," JARVIS calls from the ceiling.

Astraea glances between the two men and the JARVIS hologram. "I think if it works it'll be just what we need to beat Ultron. I guess there's only one way of finding that out."

"No, I'm in a loop! I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong." Bruce steps back, moving away from the cradle, arms thrown wide in a display of stress and struggle.

Astraea tries for a joke. "Ah … but this time you've got another mad scientist for your equation."

Tony moves forward, arms stretched out towards his friend. "I know, I know. I know what everyone's going to say, but they're already saying it. We're mad scientists like Rhea says. We're monsters, buddy. You gotta own it. Make a stand." Bruce shakes his head fervently. "It's not a loop. It's the end of the line."

"Right then," Astraea rubs her hands together, putting on a cheery tone, "let's get started! Operation give our favourite AI his very own body."

"We're not calling it that," Tony mumbles, bringing up another computer screen showing data from the cradle.

"What about operation rock-a-bye baby? Y'know, like in that nursery rhyme?"

"No."

"Mission cradle?"

Astraea keeps the project names going as they work on re-configuring JARVIS' matrix for his new home. It's complicated work, but incredibly fascinating.

 _Just what I need for my CV. Helped to make an android fitting with the consciousness of the most advanced AI in this part of the world._

 **oOo**

They work for a nearly an hour before Tony spots a problem.

"This framework is not compatible," Tony calls down from his elevated position on the computer station platform overlooking where the cradle lies.

"What?!" Astraea half-shrieks, looking up from the cables she's adjusting. "That's not good."

"The genetic coding tower is at ninety-seven percent." Bruce glances up at Tony, moving around to help Astraea with the large cables on the front of the cradle at the base. "You have got to upload that schematic in the next three minutes."

Just then, another variable decides to make an entrance. Steve strides into the room, still wearing his Captain America suit, trailed by the super-twins.

"I'm gonna say this once," Steve says, employing his commanding Cap voice for full effect. Wanda flits out behind him, a nervous look in her eye-liner coated eyes.

"How about none-ce?" Tony quips back.

"Shut it down!"

"Nope, not gonna happen." Tony strides across the platform and continues his work, as his fellow scientist peek their heads up warily and curiously.

"You don't know what you're doing," Steve argues, stepping closer.

"And you do?" Bruce questions. "She's not in your head?"

Wanda moves further into the lab space. "I know you're angry." Her Sokovian accent is distinct among the mostly American accents in the room.

"Oh, we're way past that." Bruce's voice is flat and unfeeling. "I could choke the life out of you and never change a shade."

Astraea's eyebrows shoot up. She keeps her hands busy with her work but keeps her eyes focused on listening to the tense conversation around her. All it would take now is a spark to erupt the whole room in the flames of a desperate battle to both stop and continue their work.

A few moments later a soft whoosh! of air shoots past Astraea. The slivery blur dashes around the lab, pulling out cables and halting their progress on transferring JARVIS to the Android within the cradle.

"Hey!" Astraea yells, whirling around the see Pietro crash through the glass flooring. Clint stands over him, having shot a bullet through the glass, shattering the pane.

The android's fingers start twitching the cover of the cradle. Tony leaps into action, gesturing to Bruce and Astraea to keep going. They have to finish the process, or everything will go wrong. They could lose JARVIS _and_ the android. And that's something nobody wants.

Just then, Cap throws his shield, sending a fizzing cloud of orange sparks into the air. Everyone cringes and turns away, shielding their eyes from the glow. Tony pulls on an Iron Man gauntlet and fires a repulser blast at Steve, sending him flying backwards. More armour shoots towards Tony as Bruce grabs Wanda around the neck, her hands tinged with red energy. Sparks and flame. The room has erupted and it's about to explode.

Steve reappears, slamming into Tony and sending them both flying in opposite directions. Wanda sends a blast of energy through herself and into Bruce. He shoots backwards, away from the cradle. Astraea takes a defensive position, glaring daggers at the other girl. If they've messed this up and made them lose JARVIS forever – it won't be pretty for them.

Everyone is regathering for the next attack when Thor slides into the room. He leaps onto the cradle and brings his hammer down, wreathed in buzzing blue arcs of lightning. Astraea ducks away, covering her eyes. The lid flies up and a new Being steps out. Thor is thrown backwards, and the rest of the Avengers (plus Wanda) stand ready, quarrel momentarily forgotten about for this new threat.

When Astraea finally peeks out from behind her hands, the android has floated away from the window and is talking with Thor. He has JARVIS' voice, but there's something completely new about him all the same. This isn't JARVIS, but it's not Ultron either. The android is his own being; he just needs to figure out what that means.

"I'm not Ultron. I'm not JARVIS. I am … I am … " The android stutters to a stop, looking around at them.

"I looked in your head," Wanda steps closer to the android, "and saw annihilation."

"Look again," the android invites.

The conversation becomes hostile again, with Clint gazing at Wanda with clear distrust in his eyes. But their new friend seems completely unperpetrated. It's only when the conversation moves to where Ultron is that he actually seems considered.

Clint provides them with the location. "Sokovia. He's got Nat there, too."

"If we're wrong about you," Bruce looks at the android warily, "if you're the monster Ultron made you to be … "

"What will you do?" The android looks at them all. "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique, and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the earth, so he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net, we have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others. Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go." Then he lifts Thor's hammer, handing it to the shocked god of thunder in front of an equally shocked crowd.

"Right," Thor mutters and moves to pat Tony on the shoulder. "Well done."

Steve announces they have three minutes to get what they need, and Astraea hops down from her perch on the back of the sofa. She creeps over to the new Avenger, watching as he observes them all intently.

"Hi," she murmurs shyly, giving an awkward wave. "Just thought I'd say, um, welcome to the Avengers an' all." Astraea stands silently for a moment. "Nice, uh, nice cape you've got there. Anyways, I was wondering what we ought to call you."

"Vision." The android – Vision – states, looking at her with a keen curiosity.

"Right. Well, I'm Astraea. Nice to meet you, Vision." She sticks her hand out for a handshake, which Vision reciprocates after a few moments, if a little too hard.

Well, he is a new-born after all.

* * *

 **There you go, we now have the newly created Vision for the Avengers team. Next up - the final battle. I am equally excited about and dreading writing that, but we'll see how that goes.**

 **But, I am mega excited for Infinity War after watching the second trailer. I may or may not have watched it several times whilst I was supposed to be studying in my sixth form's study room. hehehe. Well, I can't wait to go and see it. Whatever happens, it's going to be epic.**

 **Thanks for reading; I hope you've enjoyed this.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	18. To battle

**Hello, there fabulous readers! I'm moving back to a Monday upload schedule so this chapter is coming out pretty close to the last one. There's only a few chapters left to go now of this story and it's the Easter holidays for me, so I've got plenty of time to keep writing up more chapters for y'all.**

 **Now, don't worry that this will be the end of Astraea and Madison's story. Nope, I've planned out another two or three stories to cover the in-between time from _Age of Ultron_ to _Civil War,_ as well as one for _Civil War._ Good stuff. We're not down with our duo yet.**

 **I've cut the final battle into two parts as well because it was getting a little long and I didn't want to leave your with a 6,000-7,000 word chapter to get through. There's a lot of stuff in this battle scene so you'll get a pair of chapters instead.**

 **As always, I only own my OCs and original plot features.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **To battle**

 **Battle of Sokovia, Part one of two**

* * *

 _'_ _Hey, this is Madison. Please leave a message after the beep. If you're someone I know, just text me. If you're Rhea, you'll probably do both. If you're a cold caller, piss off. Thanks.'_

The familiar voice message sung though Astraea's for the fifth time and she ended the call. At first, she had left messages, but now it seemed useless. Her fingers tapped long texts that she deleted, amended, or sent. Astraea had been calling every 15 minutes to no avail. They are still a few hours out from the capital of Sokovia, but there's a stillness in the Quinjet that hasn't yet been broken by planning. In the first three hours, they'd planned and planned and planned. Astraea had only called Madison once then but tried again a few hours later. Now, with only three/four hours of travel left, she is calling every 15 minutes.

There's never any reply. So, Astraea texts her instead. Long and short messages about where they're going, who's with them, how far away they are. She asks Madison to call her, and please, please, please stay safe and don't come try and find them. Astraea needs Madison to be safe, away from a monster robot that wants to destroy her and all of the world to rebuild a new one from metal, circuits, and electricity.

She picks up the phone, staring at the little letters unfeelingly. An endless stream of texts from her fills the screen. There's no sign that Madison has seen them, not yet. Maybe she doesn't have her phone, but Astraea can't help but wonder if it's something much worse. It could be better, and maybe she's just too busy to read her messages. But there's a niggling feeling of doubt in the back of Astraea's mind that just won't go away.

She calls Madison again.

There's no reply.

 _'_ _Hey, this is …'_

 **oOo**

They're two hours away now. So close it hurts to think about what awaits them. What awaits all the people within the city, unaware of the doom about to crash down upon them with cold certainty. Death and destruction. With only a team of 10 people to defend them, assuming that Natasha is still alive. Clint and Tony think she is; Astraea just hopes.

Wanda and Pietro are sitting opposite her, talking softly and sometimes not at all. But they still seem to have a conversation; the little gestures and the soft touch of red on Wanda's hands indicate they are talking in a way that others can't hear. It's interesting, but unnerving at the same time. It's their own language, though, and just as normal as anyone speaking German, French, or sign language.

Still, Astraea feels a need to at least introduce herself well. They've only had three short interactions, two of which involved fighting, shouting, and shields. That doesn't exactly make for the best way to introduce yourself. Okay, so the first two times it wasn't like they would've chatted anyways, but now the opportunity is here. Especially seen as they may be going to their deaths.

Wonderful.

Astraea shifts to sit a little closer to the duo, plastering on a friendly smile, and catching the twins' attention. "Uh … hi," she stammered, feeling the weight of their gaze." I, um, just realised that we've haven't actually talked or anything yet, so I thought I'd, like, introduce myself an' all." Astraea pauses briefly, swallows, and continues. "I'm Astraea. But I … I already kinda know your names so I guess that's that part out of the way now."

Pietro turns around slightly, floppy silver-white hair hanging just above his eyes. "Nice to meet you. Do you always talk so much when you are nervous?"

She splutters out a chuckle. "Yes …? Sometimes though, not all the time. At least, not most of the time. I think it only really happens when I'm talking to new people or the situation is a bit awkward. Well, this is kinda both of them because you're new and this awkward 'cause you meet, sorta, before and were fighting each other. And then last time we met … " Astraea trails off, noting the hint of amusement in Pietro's gaze. "Ah … I've done it again, haven't I?"

Both twins nod, and Astraea starts to nibble on her bottom lip. Oops. Not exactly the way she'd played on saying 'hello' to the super-duo. There are a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Wanda speaks up.

"You have a different accent to the others?" Her tone makes what would have been a statement into a question.

"Yeah, I'm not from the USA." Astraea manages a small half-smile. "I grew up in Yorkshire," A pair of blank looks meets her own gaze, "it's in England. So, I've got a Yorkshire accent and not some kind of American one. But you two are … Sokovian?" She questions, getting small nods in reply. "I can't even imagine what you've gone through … what we're about to go through."

"I guess … I guess we hope that we come out alive. But Ultron is attacking _our_ city – my brother and I need to protect it." Wanda shivers, and Pietro wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders. "We helped this … this monster because we were blinded by our own desire for revenge, for wanting to right an old wrong even if it meant doing the worst things." She gives a bitter laugh. "Ne videti šumu od drveta."

"Uh … sorry, what does that mean?" Astraea asks, already deciding to learn Sokovian when they return. _If they return._

"To miss the forest because of the trees. Not seeing the big picture," Pietro mutters, fidgeting with something in his pocket. He brings it out to show Astraea. "Here is my little picture, Astraea."

It's a well-worn and much-folded photograph of a young family. Two children who are clearly Wanda and Pietro stand with a pair of adults who look very similar. There's Pietro's cheeky grin mirrored by his mother's smile, and Wanda's dark locks are the same colour as her father's close-cropped hair. All of them are smiling and happy. The twins appear to be about ten years old.

"We lost our parents in the bombs soon after this. Two days we are trapped, waiting and waiting for the bomb to kill us. We survived, but our lives were gone."

"I'm sorry … sorry that you had to go through that, and everything, when you shouldn't have had to. No one deserves to live in fear of death every day." Astraea moves around and asks Wanda if she can hug her. The surprised teen nods her reply so Astraea does. She hugs both Pietro and Wanda in solitude for their loss.

They break out of the hug a few moments later and Astraea asks them if they'll be willing to share any happy memories of their childhood. "Because it's always nicer to go into battle thinking about what you're protecting."

The twins exchange a quick look and seem to come to some sort of agreement. Wanda starts first. "When we were children, the cobbled streets and alleys were our home and playground. Everybody knew everyone. There was an old lady on our floor; everyone called her baka – grandma – and she always gave me and Pietro sweets if we helped her with her shopping."

Soft smiles cover the twins' faces now, and a warm light sparkles in their eyes. It's a far cry from the sadness that previously darkened their faces. Everyone deserves happy memories, Astraea decides.

"Mama would make Vanilice for a special treat once a week if we could afford it. Or sometimes we had Uštipci. It was better than you could buy from market," Pietro's voice turns dreamy as he reminisces.

"Do not forget about Krofne and Sisky and Dolky. Pietro loves sweet things but we cannot get many at home unless we make ourselves. But we haven't always money for that. When we were orphaned, my brate would steal treats from the stalls to make me happy on sad days. We would share a piece and eat it slow to keep it for longer." Wanda turns to Astraea, staring the other girl straight in the eyes. "What about your country? What are your favourite treats?"

"Uh … I feel like this could take a while 'cause I have a sweet tooth an' there's lots of things I like." Astraea flashed a white-toothed grin. "There's jelly and ice cream, jammy doughnuts, sticky toffee pudding, Jaffa cakes, bananas and custard, brandy snaps, angel delight, Eton mess, treacle tart, and Battenberg to name a few."

"That is quite a long list, mali mač." Pietro laughs softly. "Maybe we can try them all if we make it out of this."

"We _will_ make it out," Astraea insists, determined. The twins nod but still look uncertain at her confidence. She only wished she really believed that will be fine.

It has to be.

 **oOo**

When they're almost at Sokovia's capital city, Steve gives them his pep talk. Everyone, even Clint driving the jet, listens in.

"Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire, and that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So, our priority is getting them out." There's steeling determination in Steve's voice and Astraea knows all of them will put every effort into protecting the people of Sokovia from whatever Ultron's plan is. "All they want is to live their lives in peace, and that's not going to happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done, and find out what Ultron's been building. We find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us. Ultron thinks we're monsters and we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right."

On that (happy?) note they move out. Clint lands the jet, and they all clamber out. Bruce is set to free Natasha, and Tony jets off to stall Ultron at his church hideout. The others are getting ready to evacuate the city as well as they can before everything sets off. Something that Pietro's superspeed is very useful for.

As they move deeper into the city, Wanda proves highly useful for persuading people to leave with her telekinetic abilities. People move to the bridges, driving or walking out of the city in droves. Some people refuse to go, and others take more time than necessary to decide if they believe the Avengers who always come with trouble on their tails. It's a slow process, and they don't really have the time. At all.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Something must've happened at the church and now a horde of Ultron bots are attacking the bridge where Astraea, Clint, Wanda, and Steve are herding people away from the city. Blue repulser shots whiz through the air, narrowly being blocked by Steve's shield. Clint fires arrow after arrow, and Wanda creates a thin red energy shield to protect those behind her.

"Get off the bridge!" Wanda calls out in her clipped accent, pushing people behind her as she shields them. A blue blast knocks her down and Astraea launches forward, unsheathing her katana as she does so.

The sharp blade slices easily through the robot, propelled by Astraea's enhanced strength. People scream and run back into the city. The bots block the bridge – the only way out at this point. The blue-eyed robots move in on them, limbs shifting to make high-powered weapons. Astraea ducks behind a bot, slicing upwards to remove its arm. Cap's shield flies over to smash the bot in half.

The four of them split into two groups. Clint and Wanda move deeper into the city, and Astraea and Steve head to another bridge. A steady stream of robots attacks them. The air tastes like burnt flesh and metal. Astraea puts her new sword to good use, slicing robots open left, right, and centre. But every robot they bring down another three take its place.

Then the ground begins to rumble and shake. Astraea's legs wobble and she almost tumbles to the ground. Cracks appear in the cobble and concrete roads, widening into deep chasms of death. The whole city groans as a chunk of it pulls away from the rest, defying gravity to rise upwards to the endless sky. On the bridge, cars tumble into the abyss, and terrified people scramble out of the way. A few decide to risk the jump to leap onto the part of Sokovia still fixed to the ground. Steve, engaged with a robot, almost stumbles over the edge. The metal and concrete bridge rips as part of it is dragged ever higher.

There are screams all around, echoing in her ears, but Astraea has a job to do.

Then a new sound hits her ears – Ultron speaking as he looks down upon the city:

"Do you see? The beauty of it, the inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal."

Astraea turns to Cap, urgency lighting her eyes. "He wants to use the city to destroy the world." Fear rises up in her, a bubble of terror inspired by her nightmare. A city ripped away from its root, just as she saw. "Ultron will use this rock to kill everyone and rebuild a world of metal."

Steve nods, moving slightly further away from the edge, and starts to talk into comms. "Everyone hear that?"

There's a chorus of agreements and Tony adding his own information. "Yeah, FRIDAY already told me. If this rock drops from high enough it'll cause global extinction."

On that grim note, silence reigns over the comms again. Astraea rolls her shoulders and readies her blade. "Looks like I've got a project to keep me from getting bored now," she mutters under her breath.

Then a dozen more bots fly in towards the bridge and Astraea is no longer in a joking mood. One seizes Steve, throwing him back into a car. People scream in terror. Astraea leaps forward, slicing the head off one bot and stabbing another. Dropping the sword, she vaults onto another squeezing it with her thighs until the head pops off. One down, about a hundred thousand more to go.

Somewhere behind her, Astraea catches a glimpse of Steve hauling himself to his feet.

"Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job: tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt 'em back. You get killed … walk it off." Steve gives his little pep talk, staring out onto the city as robots make blue streaks overhead.

Astraea nods at him, taking the smallest of moments to catch her breath. Cap gestures for her to go deeper into the city with a curt "I've it covered; people need help elsewhere."

So, Astraea runs off into the city alone as a chorus of screams erupt into a beautiful and haunting harmony all around her, joined by the roar of the Hulk.

 **oOo**

It's harder moving people than she thought. Now that the city is slowly rising upwards, there's nothing for these people to do but hide and hope that someone destroys the robot before it finds them. There's no organisation to the movement of the robots, though. They're just shooting wildly, marvelling in the chaos.

Astraea has killed so many bots by now that she's lost count. At the moment, she's herding a mixed group of adults and children into one of the more stable buildings. It's out of the way, and a more defensible point than standing out of in the street. That makes you a target, so, of course, it's exactly what Astraea does.

Six robots stand in the street. Astraea has long abandoned using her sword in favour of her electric batons and hand-to-hand combat. The narrow streets make it difficult to wield her katana well enough. The blue glow of the robots' eyes mirrors that of her batons.

She leaps forwards, shrieking her war cry. The pulses short-circuit the first two bots. Astraea tucks into a roll, ducking through the legs. A blue repulser shot shoots over her head. She seizes one leg, flipping it over her head. It smashes on the stones. Another bot succumbs to her batons. Flipping over their heads, Astraea uses her momentum to smash them into each other.

"Clear!" She yells into her comms, gesturing for the people to come out. "Evakuirovat! It's clear now!" Astraea calls to the hidden people. She'd noticed when Wanda and Pietro were speaking in Sokovian that some of the words were slightly similar to some Russians ones. Maybe they'll understand it sort of, especially if they don't speak English. It would be arrogant to assume that they did.

"Alright, we're all clear here," Clint shouts over the comms.

Steve's stressful reply comes soon after. "We are not clear! We are very not clear!"

"Alright, coming to you," Clint assures Cap, and Astraea adds her own promise to turn up as soon as possible to where the other Avenger is.

Sighing softly, Astraea drags herself into a standing position and sets off. When they get out of this, she's going to sleep for a whole day straight. Assuming, of course, that they manage to survive this. Astraea hopes against all else that they do. She's just not so sure if she believes it.

Hoping. Always hoping now.

 **oOo**

Then a gift worth more than all the jewels in the world arrives while Steve and Natasha are arguing about leaving or staying on their floating rock of doom.

The voice of one Nick Fury comes over the comms units as a helicarrier rises up beside them, loading with aerial lifeboats. "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better. Nice, right? I pulled her out of mothballs with a couple of old friends. She's dusty, but she'll do."

"Fury, you son of a bitch," Steve calls back.

"Oooh! You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

While the others chat, Astraea hears a buzzing noise from her comms unit before a familiar voice breaks through.

"Hey, Rhea. I … uh … I got your messages, by the way." It's Madison, laughing nervously in her ear as though she is standing right beside her. "Fury borrowed him to help set up the helicarrier. I managed to get this connection direct to your comms but only for a few minutes." There's a pause as Madison lets the news settle in. "So, superhero, how are you?"

Astraea lets out a weak chuckle. "Better for hearing you. Tired I guess, but otherwise unharmed." Her voice becomes razor sharp and serious as she glares in the general direction of where Madison must be. "Stay safe for me. Don't … don't do anything stupid without me, will you? Promise."

"I promise. Don't worry about me; I'm more worried about you." Madison's voice gets fainter as the connection breaks down. "Go save the world, superhero."

Astraea nods, despite knowing Madison isn't there and can't see her. She's safe on the helicarrier and won't be falling off the rock while Ultron taunts her. Not happening – not now, not ever.

"Let's load 'em up!" Steve orders the nearby Avengers, nodding in the direction of the arriving lifeboats. People swarm them, aided by Wanda's powers and the twins' assurances that everything is safe muttered in Sokovian.

It finally seems like they might be making headway. They've got a way to keep the people safe; now all they need to do is defeat Ultron. New courage surges through Astraea, and new strength runs through her tired limbs. The Avengers can do this – all they have to do is try.

* * *

 **Well there you go - SHIELD has arrived, but is it enough to save the day? And what will happen to our superheroes (in particular a certain speedster)?**

 **Now, for the Sokovian language, I used Serbian as we don't know exactly where Sokovia is, just that it's in around this place in Europe. Plus, there are a few words that are similar between Russian and Serbian according to google translate, which is useful for our Russian-speaking Astraea as you'll see next chapter.**

 **The desserts Wanda and Pietro talk about are a mixture of Serbian and Slovakian desserts I found on various websites.**

 **Here are the translations:**

 **(all are either from google translate or phrases from Wikipedia or names of foods from various websites)**

 _ **Serbian:-**_

Ne videti šumu od drveta - _to miss the forest because of the trees_

Baka - _grandma_

Brate _\- brother_

mali mač - _little sword_

 ** _Russian:-_**

Evakuirovat - _evacuate_

 **Well, thanks for reading this. I hope you've enjoyed it and stay tuned for next monday.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	19. When all is said and done

**Chapter time again! I've just got one more chapter to post after this and then we're moving on to the next part of Astraea and Madison's story.**

 **I hope you enjoy this second part of the battle of Sokovia.**

 **As always, I don't own anything, it all belongs to Marvel.**

 **Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **When all is said and done**

 **Battle of Sokovia Part two of two**

* * *

The mad scramble to load up the lifeboats overtakes much of the offensive action of Steve, Clint, Natasha, Wanda, Pietro, and Natasha could've been doing instead. Thor and Vision are still working on attacking Ultron, and Tony is trying to think of a solution for destroying the city when everyone is safe. Even if they save everyone, it won't matter in the rock drops and kills the world in a meteor attack arranged by a crazy robot who was decided to save the people it's destroying. But it's only when everyone is clear that they can even attempt to destroy the chunk of the city. It'll be tight but it's the only way. It _has_ to work.

"Alright, let's load 'em up! Alright, here we go. Here we go, let's move. Let's go, everyone!" Clint's encouraging cries echo through the city as they direct people towards the lifeboats. Most of them understand what's going on, but some still seem shell-shocked and shaken by everything that's happened.

Astraea's enhanced hearing comes into particularly useful for finding people still trapped under rubble or unable to get to the safety of the lifeboats. She helps direct the other Avengers to the people who can't get to the boats. There's a steady stream of people heading to the lifeboats and being secured by the teams of SHIELD operatives and technicians, though, so clearly most of the stranded people are okay. For the wounded, however, medics are stationed on all of the lifeboats, ready to give lifesaving treatment to the civilians whose city is being destroyed in front of their very eyes.

But it's too busy for Astraea to dwell on thoughts like that. Her ears are picking up a small, whimpering cry a few metres from where she stood. It sounds like children, which makes Astraea move so much faster.

She finds them – a pair of children about seven years old who look at her with wide eyes – hiding underneath the propped open shape of a large container bin. The open lid supports the rest of the structure, with filled bin bags littering the fall around them. As the city rises ever upwards, the bin shifts, threatening to span shut and trap the children. Astraea gives them a strained smile as she gestures for them to crawl out as she lifts the bin upwards. If she drops it … well, Astraea doesn't want to think about that. There's been too much death and destruction already.

Taking a stance, Astraea stands at the side closest to the trapped children, legs wide enough for them to crawl through, and lifts with one hand on the bin and the other on the lid. The pair shuffles out, clambering over food waste and glass shards. Thirty seconds; it takes them that long to escape and wiggle free with sore limbs. They babble their thanks to her in Sokovian as she lowers the bin. In the distance, another lifeboat leaves for the helicarrier and urgency thrums though Astraea. Taking one in each arm, she starts running towards the nearest lifeboat, hoping beyond hope that these two children have at least 1 surviving family member each.

Small fingers coil in her dark hair, and rich brown eyes stare at her similarly coloured ones.

"Spasitelj!" One of them cries out, a little girl wearing a dull red dress. _Saviour_. "Hvala što ste nas spasili. Moje ime je Jana i ovo je Ivan, ko si ti?"

Some of it sounds vaguely similar to some of the Russian Astraea knows. The girl – Jana – is asking who she is, very probably at least. It could be ordering a pickle and onion sandwich but Astraea chooses to go for the former. Jana has already said the phrase for 'my name is' or 'I am called' or something similar so Astraea starts with that, trying to mimic the pronunciation.

"Moje ime je Astraea," Astraea huffs out in between breaths, trying to keep a steady pace as they arrive at the lifeboat. "ne znayu mnogo Sokovian. Only a daft English person," she mutters as an afterthought.

"Duhovit si. Don't know Sokovian." Jana and Ivan giggle loudly, their infectious sound seeming foreign in the desolate city. "Silly pomoćnik! Not good." That seems to the limit to her English as the children begin babbling in Sokovian once more, almost too quick for her to keep pace.

When they reach the boat, Astraea is sad to see them go. She hugs them both tightly before they leave, telling them as best as she can to look for her if they need to. An old lady sitting near by translates for them, informing Astraea in broken English that they are thanking her and promise to do as she asks. Astraea nods at her, before jumping off the boat. There's still much work to be down.

When the boat leaves, though, she stands and watches it fly away.

 **oOo**

In the few minutes that seem to pass like hours since Astraea saw Jana and Ivan off, Tony announces he has a plan to destroy the floating city once everyone is safely off the rock. He instructs Rhodey to finish moving people towards the helicarrier before giving a cocky statement to the rest of the team.

"Avengers, time to work for a living."

Everyone moves in towards the church where Ultron has placed the core for the stolen vibranium that is keeping the whole floating structure, well, _floating_. If Ultron can get to it, he can drop it and destroy the world, despite the Avengers efforts to protect it. They'll have a helicarrier full of people but no world for them to live safely on. Wanda and Pietro have a softly muttered reunion, and Tony calls out for Natasha and Bruce asking if they're playing 'hide the zucchini'.

Finally, everyone is arranged is a semi-circle around the core. Tony points at it with a flat, "This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose."

Then our favourite (not!) robot shows up in all his metal glory, floating a few metres off the ground. He glares at the assembled heroes. Astraea swallows a gulp of fear, remembering the robot's voice in her dream. _Choose_.

 _Well_ , she decides, _I've chosen Ultron; I've chosen to fight back instead of sitting idly by whilst you try to destroy the world. I've chosen to be more than the scared girl who used to be afraid of stepping up to the challenge. No more hiding in the shadows for Nemesis._

Thor raises his hammer towards Ultron. "Is that the best you can do?"

Ultron raises him arms, summoning all robots towards him. They come flying, crawling, and running in a massive hoard. So many still left, despite all the Avengers' efforts to destroy as many as possible. An almost endless army.

"You had to ask," Steve states dryly, half-turning his head to look at Thor with disbelief all over his face.

"This is the best I can do." Ultron gesture towards them, a smug look on his metallic features. "This is exactly what I wanted. All of you, against all of me. How could you possibly hope to stop me?" He tilts his head at the assembled team.

"Well, like the old man said," Tony gives Steve a sideways look, "together."

With that, they launch into action. The robot army closes in like a swarm of angry, weaponised ants that are really pissed off that you killed their friends. Astraea holds her batons tight, muscles tensed and ready to launch her forwards and into the fray. Time seems to simultaneously speed up and slow down.

Silver trails mark the places where Pietro runs. Metallic clanging sounds occur whenever Thor or Steve smash a robot with their respective weapons. Red streams of energy shoot from Wanda's hands. The air tastes of burning whenever a repulser shot gets too close. Sparks fly as Steve pulls another bot's head off. Hulk roars his displeasure, and Astraea's ears ache from the proximity of such loud noises. Natasha's and Astraea's electric batons short-circuit whatever robot they're thrust into. Beneath them, the ground shakes slightly as it continues its ascent through the clouds.

Eventually, her batons begin to break down. The pressure she's been using and the force to thrust them through the chests of the metal monsters has weakened them. Time to play with swords once more. Astraea unsheathes her katana, stepping slightly away from the group so she won't catch them with the sharp blade. It slices easily through the metal, fuelled by her enhanced muscles. Astraea shrieks her battle cry. Sparks fly into her eyes. Metal groans under her feet as she kicks. When one bot grabs her arm, she lashes out with another force to propel it towards Wanda. Red energy balls make sure it never moves again.

The air begins to hum with power as Thor hits downwards with one of his lightning strikes. Several Ultron-robots go down. Widow electrocutes three more in quick succession. Vision hovers above, sticking his hand instead the chest of a bot to pull out its core.

Slowly but surely, the tide of robots slowly down. The floor of the ruined church is littered with broken limbs and metal bodies. Then the main Ultron-bot zooms forwards, smashing into Vision who throws him out the wall. The android focuses on Ultron with a golden-yellow blast from the Mind Stone. Thor and Iron Man join in with lightning and repulser shots, respectively. Astraea, peeking through a crack in the wall as she slices another bot into scraps, watches the very metal of Ultron's surface metal away.

"You know, with the benefit of hindsight – " Ultron starts to speak, but an angry Hulk knocks him away into the distance.

The remaining robots turn and fly; just a handful is left from the once great army.

"They'll try to leave the city," Thor half-shouts.

"We can't let them, not even one," Tony replies, directing his next words to his best friend in the War Machine suit. "Rhodey."

"I'm on it." The assurance comes over the comms, followed by a half-muffled statement from Rhodey. "Oh, no, I didn't say you could leave. War Machine, comin' at you, right … " There's a moment of stunned silence – obviously something a little unexpected has happened. "Okay, what?!"

Inside the now empty church, Steve turns to the rest of them with a grim expression. "We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

Clint's gaze shifts to the core and back again. "What about the core?"

"I'll protect it," Wanda announces, getting a startled look from Clint. "It's my job."

The four of them move out, leaving Wanda and Pietro standing in the church, talking quietly.

Clint and Natasha load up into an open-topped car, but Astraea stays behind, refusing Steve's insistence that she joins them.

"I've got good ears," she asserts, tilting her head up to look him in eye with a steely expression in her dark eyes. "I can find people pretty well, and I'll be more helpful doing this than getting on a boat."

Steve sighs but motions for her to come with him. "If I say you need to go, you go, right?" He asks as they jog down the rubble-covered streets.

"Okay, but why – " Astraea starts before she's cut off by Steve.

"No. You're just a kid and ideally wouldn't be here at all." He frowns at her. "Just please listen if I tell you to get yourself out."

"Alright." She tries for a smile. "Captain's orders, huh?"

 **oOo**

They search for as long as possible, directing a handful of stragglers towards the lifeboats. Most of anyone else they find are dead, killed by falling debris, the robots, or the rebounding gunshots fired by the police force in vain. There's virtually no one left is the flying city; just rubble, ashes, and bodies of humans, animals, and robots to decorate the broken streets now. Steve and Astraea turn back towards the helicarrier as the sounds of a gun being fired echoes through the empty streets. It's sounds an awful lot like one found on the Quinjets.

The pair of them run, heading both towards the noise and the helicarrier. Gunshots spray from the jet flying overhead, close to where the helicarrier hovers just off the coast of the flying city. Steve sends Astraea to get to the lifeboats as he checks one last place. This time, she listens. Astraea is nearly there nearly there when a burst of silver light streaks into the firing line. As she gets closer and the dust begins to settle, Astraea catches a glimpse of Clint holding a young boy protectively. At his feet sprawls Pietro, covered in the blossoming red wounds of multiple gunshots. Somewhere in the distance, a scream sounding much like Wanda echoes through the city.

Heart in her mouth, Astraea sprints over, new energy thumping through her. Her hands find Pietro and lifts him – his body – and runs to the nearest lifeboat. It's the only left now that hasn't yet flown back to the helicarrier. The operator is waiting for all the non-flying Avengers to get there. Otherwise, they'll have no way to get back.

Clint arrives on the boat a few moments later after handing the boy to his very relieved mother, looking thoroughly sore and exhausted. He drops onto the empty seats above Pietro's limp form. A medic comes over, but Clint waves him away. Astraea sinks into a chair opposite, thinking of how Wanda must feel; thinking how she'd feel if that was Madison, lying limp on the floor.

A bot must get to the core at last, because suddenly the city starts dropping. Steve (just about to het on the last boat after his final check) turns and leaps, barely making it onto the lifeboat which is now much higher than the falling city.

As the boat flies away, Astraea catches a glimpse of the city wreathed in lightning, splitting into massive chunks of debris that fall like broken stars. Somewhere among them must be Wanda, Vision, Tony, and Thor. Everyone else seems to be on the helicarrier when they arrive, although Natasha informs them that Bruce is still the Hulk and has boarded a Quinjet. Other than that small announcement, the team is silently as they watch the city fallen reach Earth once more.

 **oOo**

Astraea wanders the deck for another hour, feeling lost and alone. Vision managed to find Wanda, and brought her back to the carrier before killing the last remaining Ultron bot. Tony barely managed to survive dodging all of the falling chunks of the city, and Thor had to be recovered from the water he was sinking in. Now they're only missing the Hulk and Pietro. One of whom has flown away, and the other is lying dead.

Sobs threat to rise up in her throat, and tears shine like tiny jewels on Astraea's face. She ducks inside, hiding in an empty corridor. Her back hits the wall and she slides down to hit the floor. Crazy, manic laughter bubbles out of her at the surreal situation. Astraea, once a little vigilante, has just been part of a battle between Earth's mightiest heroes and an army of robots created by an AI that was meant to protect humans not destroy them. It sounds so fictional but it is so real. It happened, and people died, and Pietro sacrificed himself, and … and now she's giggling like an idiot in an empty corridor. Her mouth quickly snaps shut and the only sound becomes the ragged noise of her unsteady breathing.

Time drags on, whether hours or minutes, Astraea doesn't know. That footsteps echo down the corridor, and arms wrap her tight in a familiar warmth. _Madison_. Astraea leans against the legs beside her, not carrying about anything else. Madison's here now, so everything will be okay. Fresh tears streak down her cheeks and she further melts into the embrace.

"Hey, it's okay," Madison says soothingly, the sound of her voice resonating into Astraea's ears like the best lullaby in the world. "I'm here, and we're both alive and everything is okay."

Astraea shifts to sit up, now leaning against Madison's shoulder. The latter's arms have moved from being clenched around her middle and now one is just wrapped around her waist. Astraea puts her right arm over Madison's shoulders. "Thank you, Mads." Emotion thickens her voice. "I don't know what I'd without you."

"Struggle." Madison gives her musical laugh. "I couldn't do without you either, Rhea. Good job with your superheroing, by the way."

"It wasn't just me," Astraea protests.

"Yeah, but there's only one superhero here for me to thank." Madison sits in silence for a moment. "You're my favourite one – superhero, that is."

Astraea chuckles softly. "You're my favourite, too." Madison turns her head to protest but Astraea just continues. "No, it's true. You _are_ a superhero, no matter what you think. I don't think I'd be here, doing something good and worthwhile, if you hadn't urged me to go for it. So, while there are some things I don't like about this, I wouldn't give it for the world. Well, I'd give it up to save you, Mads. Any day. But at the moment, I think we're okay."

"That's good then," Madison mumbles, tucking her head under Astraea's and leaning against her chest. "I'm too tired to do anything else and you're warm."

Astraea's own eyelids are also barely open. "Cuddle pile nap then."

"Yup."

And if a pair of ex-SHIELD agents comes across them two hours later, they don't comment but continue onwards, leaving the slumbering pair to curl up against the wall. If the agents return a few minutes later and wrap the duo up in blankets, nobody says anything either.

* * *

 **There you have it. The battle with Ultron is over.**

 **A nice little cute scene with the kids, and finally that Madison-Astraea reunion we've all been waiting for. Sadness of course too, with an, unfortunately, canon death for Pietro.**

 **Translations -**

 _ **Serbian:-**_

Spasitelj - _saviour_

Hvala što ste nas spasili. - _Thank you for saving us._

Moje ime je Jana i ovo je Ivan, ko si ti? - _My name is Jana, and this is Ivan, who are you?_

Moje ime je Astraea - _My name is Astraea._

Duhovit si. - _You're funny._

pomoćnik - _Helper_

 _ **Russian:-**_

ne znayu mnogo Sokovian - I don't know much Sokovian

 **As always, I use google translate because I don't speak these languages. If I have butchered them or said something that completely doesn't mean what I intended it to, please feel free to call me out and I'll make amendments.**

 **Thank you for reading. I'm thinking only one chapter left in this particular fanfic, and then I'll start writing up the in-between stories and uploading them. After that, it'll be on to _Civil War_ and no doubt I may do _Infinity War_ after that. Maybe even both of them will be out by that point. **

**On the subject of _Infinity War,_ I am so excited that Infinity War will be coming this month. 12 days after my birthday and then I can go and see it. One of my friends is also marvel-mad, so we'll probably go together or at least meet up there. It's so close now, but I'm still prepared for it.**

 **Just the epilogue to go and then I'll start posting chapters for the in-between fic in a few weeks. I've got to write them first, but up-coming exams mean I won't have much time for that. So I'll write a load and post them when I've got enough that I can maybe miss a few writing sessions and still have something to post for you guys.**

 **Thank you, to all you wonderful readers for going on this journey with me. Your support has been so wonderful, and I just want to thank you all for taking the time to read this humble fanfiction.**

 **Until the next time,**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	20. Epilogue: To the future

**Heyo guys!**

 **It's me, back for the final chapter of this book of Astraea and Madison's story. Just a short epilogue this time, but I will be posting new chapters again in a few weeks for my in-between time stories. It'll likely be one-shots and short stories more so than a completely independent plot that will span the time between _Age of Ultron_ and _Civil War_. It will be somewhat chronological I expect, and there will be some short stories to tackle points given in this fanfic, like Vanessa the reporter and backstories for my OCs. ****There's a lot more story to come for these two after this, and lot's of team-bonding moments to be had.**

 **I don't own anything here apart from original plot points and OCs.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Now, without further ado, I give you the final chapter.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

 **To the future**

* * *

The next few days pass in a haze. They returned briefly to the Tower, before moving to the new compound further upstate. It used to be an old warehouse or something, but Tony's been working on remodelling it into a state-of-the-art facility to use as the Avengers' main base. Tony and Clint are both retiring from the Avengers, possibly completely. Clint has his family to go back to, and Tony has seen far too much. They all need a break, but these two more than most.

Astraea has been conflicted after moving to the new base. She wants to keep being an Avenger, but she equally knows that Madison is likely to come, too. Her best friend could have a chance at making a peaceful life, working for Stark Industries and living in the Tower, not on a base. Astraea didn't want to make Madison choose, but it turns out the new compound needed staff, not just agents. There were all sorts of openings, and Madison is working part-time as in the human resources department while she finishes up her degree.

The base has a slightly different living arrangement to the Tower, though. Its smaller size means everyone gets a large bedroom and bathroom, but there's a communal kitchen-dinner, as well as a common room, gym, library, and swimming pool. Steve and Natasha both have offices, but there is a study for anyone who wants to do some quiet work. Madison and Astraea have rooms next to each other, down the same corridor as Vision and Wanda. Rhodey, Sam, Natasha, and Steve have rooms in the other bedroom wing, coming off the common room to the other side.

There are also separate apartments for Maria Hill, Doctor Erik Selvig, and Doctor Helen Cho. Some staff are live-in, but most don't live on the base. A separate training area, a collection of laboratories, and hangar for the Quinjets (as well as an underground garage) makes up the largest building. A walkway connects the residential areas to the larger, warehouse-like building. It's an impressive set-up, and definitely intimidating to see for the first time. Still, after being around it for a few days, the base is gradually starting to feel more like home for Astraea and Madison, as well as the rest of the team.

One of the most striking features, though, isn't the impressive buildings, but rather the circular scorch mark left by Thor when he left. The on-site outdoor management team don't think the grass will grow back any time soon. So, for now, it's known as Thor's spot and left exactly as it is.

 **oOo**

At the end of the month, Madison suggests they have a pool party. The team are collapsed on various sofas and watching James Bond, then swivel their heads round to look at her.

"What?!" She exclaims, pouting slightly. "We have a pool, and nobody ever uses for anything but exercise. Time someone used it for fun."

"You wanna go right now?" Nat inquires, raising one eyebrow.

"Nah. What about Saturday afternoon? Assuming the world doesn't fall apart by then."

Everyone agrees, making plans to team-up for the inevitable water fight. Astraea nudges her friend softly with her elbow.

"Thought you didn't want anyone to see you in a swimming costume. Like, ever." Her whispered words met a stifled chuckle.

"Yeah, but at least I get to admire everyone else, and it'll be entertaining watching Vision try diving out for the first time."

"You're a scoundrel, Mads."

Madison laughs quietly. "I know."

 **oOo**

That Saturday, the whole team gets ready for their pool party. Sam, Rhodey, and Wanda prepare snacks. Steve and Natasha go out and come back with a load of floats. Astraea and Madison make sure that no one has any appointments or meetings, and Vision watches them all get ridiculously excited. He's still new to the whole 'living' thing and constantly learns new things about people just by watching the Avengers' go about their daily business.

It's endearing to watch the android grow and learn like any other person does. After all, he _is_ a person.

At 7:00 p.m. they troop out to the pool, all dressed in an array of swim shorts, bikinis, and swimming costumes. Well, Vision just sort of made one appear upon him like he did with the cloak shortly after his creator. A nifty trick, but one that, sadly, can't be taught. Oh well.

Sam starts the whole thing off with a bang as he cannonballs into the heated water. A tidal of water splashes up at them, soaking everyone within a metre of the pool edge. Natasha's pool chair gets soaked so badly that her glare could kill. Everyone freezes, watching the famous Black Widow for her decision. But an uncharacteristically bright smile lights her face and Nat dives in after him.

"You are so dead Wilson!" She whispers, flicking water into his face.

The rest of them glance at each other and shrug.

"If you can't beat them – " Steve starts.

"Join them!" Madison finishes, leaping into the pool with gusto and dragging a giggling Astraea with her.

Then Wanda brings out the water pistols with a shy smile and immediately sprays Rhodey's back. A full-scale water fight erupts. Natasha holds two super-soakers, squirting at Steve's chest. Vision stands in the pool, increasing his density so water bounces back off him in arcs. Astraea ducks her head under the water and swims to the other end in a bid to escape Madison, who is armed with two water pistols and wearing a shit-eating grin.

In only ten minutes everyone is drenched from head-to-foot and the pool patio has been soaked with waves of water. They're all giggling and laughing like children, squirting water at each other and splashing around like crazy people. FRIDAY (the new AI system) turns some music on at Sam's request and now they're all dancing around and partying like nobody's watching. And there is no one watching; it's just the team, the pool, and FRIDAY. It's blissful but loud and manic as they let down their hair and celebrate after a hard time.

A hard time that has been hardest of all for Wanda Maximoff. She lost not only her home but her twin brother in the battle. The team had held a funeral two weeks ago, burying the young man on a small hill overlooking the base. Even Clint and Tony had turned up, but Thor was already off-world by this point. It had been a sad day, and Wanda's smiles were difficult to come by afterwards.

But now, for this evening at least, Wanda is smiling and having fun with her newfound friends.

Astraea slips out of the pool, joining Madison on the edge. "Was this also a part of your plan, Mads?" She nudges her bikini-clad friend gently. "Getting a certain Wanda to smile again, if only for a little while."

"Yeah," Madison agrees, turning to gaze at Astraea with vibrant green eyes, "I figured she deserves a little happiness, and I … well, I know what it's like to lose a brother. Especially about how it feels to lose one in a fight. It's hard and … and I sometimes I still feel like the guilt will never go away but I've got a great team behind my back now. So does Wanda." She wraps an arm around the taller girl's shoulders.

They sit for a few minutes before Astraea pushes Madison in. Then a hand pops up and grabs Astraea's ankle, pulling her into the pool with a splash! When she resurfaces, completely dripping wet, a giggling Madison greets her.

"You have a backpfeifengesicht!" Astraea says, mockingly annoyed, and waggles a finger at Madison.

"What on earth does that mean?"

"Well, roughly, it means a face in need of a fist!"

"Aww …" Madison pouts slightly, "you wouldn't do that to me, right?"

Astraea rolls her eyes slightly, "'course not, Bambi eyes." Madison smiles, and then Astraea grabs a water pistol from the pool edge and squirts it at her friend. "But I would do this!"

"Oi!" The other girl shrieks. "I'll get you back for that, Rhea."

"In your dreams, Mads."

 **oOo**

The evening ends with the team sat on the roof terrace, wrapped in towels and blankets, and watching the sunset in the distance. Streaks of orange and pink light the darkening sky as the sun sinks below the horizon. The team lean against each other, legs dangling over the edge of the roof. Glasses in hand they toast as one, voices ringing out clear in the stillness of the night.

"To the future!"

* * *

 **There we go. I have actually, finally, finished writing a story for once in my life.**

 **It's been 55640 words of fanfic, many weeks of posting, and you! You wonderful, wonderful readers who have been with me every step of the way, offering your support for the story, and just reading my work. It's been an honour to write for you, and I hope not to disappoint with the next book of this story. Thank you all for taking the time to read this story.**

 **Don't worry, I'll be posting again in a few weeks, once I've got a bunch of chapters written-up that is.**

 **I hope you all have enjoyed reading this fanfic as much as I've enjoyed writing this. I'm immensely proud of the fact that I have actually managed to finish a story, and I hope to continue that trend.**

 **Also, _Infinity War_ is so close now and I'm so excited. I'm determined to go see this movie as soon as possible, even if I have to go alone. It's going to be amazing and sad and powerful; I don't feel like I'm ready to go see it, but I'm equally so pumped for when we can finally watch it. Ten years of the MCU. I can't friggin wait!**

 **Once again, thank you all.**

 **Look-for-the-miracles**


	21. Author's note

**Hey guys, this is just a quick author's note to say my second story in this series now has its' first chapter uploaded. I'll add the blurb and title to this note so Y'all know what to look for if you want to continue with this series.**

Title: Nemesis: In-between time

A collection of one-shots and short stories as they go from AOU to CA:CW. Follow Astraea and the Avengers as they grow closer as a team and a family, getting up to all sorts of trouble both on and off the battlefield. Whether it be missions, movie nights, or messy food fights the Avengers are a great team. They'll stick together in battle and in the in-between time. No matter what.


End file.
